ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently interviewed league executives, coaches, scouts and players and asked them to rank the best safeties in the NFL (subscription required for link).
Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons ended up ranked No. 3.
In 12 games last year, Simmons totaled 69 tackles, six interceptions, and seven passes defended. Hard not to put Simmons on that list give his impressive production in just 12 games.
Although Simmons was ranked No. 1 last offseason, it’s hard to argue against the two players ranked ahead this year: Minkah Fitzpatrick (No. 1) and Derwin James (No. 2).
Although anonymous, here is what one NFC executive had to say about Simmons:
“He plays a nice, clean, smart game,” an NFC exec told ESPN. “Always in the right place with ball skills and instincts… Not a splashy knock-you-out guy but the splash comes from takeaways.”
Check out the rest of the list here to see which other safeties made the cut.
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