Clemson defender and athletic freakshow Isaiah Simmons is one of the most popular names for Detroit Lions fans as a potential fit for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. And while it’s too early to rule anything out, the moves the Lions have made in free agency indicate it’s extremely unlikely that Roger Goodell will call Simmons’ name when announcing the pick.
Simmons projects to the NFL as a combination of an off-ball linebacker and strong safety, or some wicked hybrid amalgamation of the two. Those are the positions the Lions prominently addressed on defense in the first days of free agency. In fact, they added a player who was the Isaiah Simmons of his own draft class.
Jamie Collins is the exact kind of crazy athlete at linebacker that draws fans to Simmons. His size/speed blend for a linebacker is exceptional, and it’s translated well into the NFL.
He’s still an amazing physical specimen at 30 years old. A quick look at this clip of his athletic feats of late shows all the traits that Simmons has that make folks salivate:
New Lions LB Jamie Collins might be one of the most athletic dudes in the league 😳
(via @j_collins91, @ruthiepolinsky, @Patriots) pic.twitter.com/kZRkdeDb0H
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) March 18, 2020
Collins has the kind of positional versatility. Primarily a SAM backer for most of the last five years, he has over 200 snaps in the last three years (two in Cleveland, one in New England) at the following positions:
- SAM backer
- ILB
- Slot corner (primarily over a flexed TE)
- Rush OLB
That covers the LB utilization Simmons would offer. With Collins signed for three years and $30 million, the Lions are pretty committed to having him in that role.
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Simmons also offers the potential to play safety. He’s wildly oversized for the position in the NFL at 6-4 and 238 pounds, which is bigger than many linebackers. Beyond that, the Lions have added two new safeties to join emerging star Tracy Walker and second-year Will Harris, who projects to a bigger role in his sophomore season.
One of them is Jayron Kearse, who was a Simmons predecessor at the exact same position at Clemson, the playmaking safety. Kearse is 6-4, 213 pounds and notched the longest broad jump of any DB in his draft class at the combine. Kearse was nowhere near as productive in college as Simmons, and he’s not really been able to carve out a steady role beyond special teams in the NFL.
The other is veteran Duron Harmon, and he fills the exact safety role that Simmons would perform in Detroit. He’s primarily a free safety but Harmon spent about 20 percent of his time with the Patriots aligning in the box, often as the WLB in their nickel package.
I won’t begin to argue that Simmons’ ceiling is significantly higher than the 29-year-old Harmon. Of course it is. But the Lions appear committed to Harmon for 2020, and they already have the young playmaking safety in Walker on the roster.
What they don’t have on the roster is a No. 1 cornerback now that Darius Slay is in Philadelphia. Or a No. 1 pass rusher, or even a No. 2 EDGE with Devon Kennard now in Arizona. Simmons is a lot of things but neither of those fit the bill. Jeff Okudah and Chase Young do, however, and at least one of them will be available for the Lions at the No. 3 overall pick. It’s very difficult to fathom the Lions ignoring those gaping holes at far more important positions to draft Simmons now.