Tag: Jaylin Simpson

Dallas Cowboys select DL Justin Rogers in 7th round

Rogers is the fourth former Tiger to be selected on day three of the NFL draft.

Three former Auburn defensive backs found professional homes on day three of the NFL draft. Now it is the defensive linemen’s turn.

Defensive lineman [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag] is the most recent Auburn prospect to be selected in the 2024 NFL draft, where he was taken with the No. 244 overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the final round. He becomes the first former Tiger to be drafted by the Cowboys since 2005 when defensive lineman [autotag]Jay Ratliff[/autotag] was taken by Dallas in the 7th round.

Rogers played one season for Auburn, where he made 17 total tackles in 13 games, totaling 375 snaps. Before his time at Auburn, Rogers played three seasons at Kentucky where he made 61 stops, five went for a loss.

NFL draft buzz shares that Rogers has several strengths such as great instincts and impressive burst. The Cowboys fill a need by adding Rogers to its defensive line.

Rogers joins [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], and [autotag]DJ James[/autotag] by being taken in the NFL draft. Pritchett was taken by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round, with James joining him in the sixth round. Simpson was chosen by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round.

Indianapolis Colts select Jaylin Simpson at No. 164 overall

Jaylin Simpson becomes the next former Tiger to be taken in the NFL draft, joining Nehemiah Pritchett.

The first two days of the 2024 NFL draft were quiet for Auburn, but day three has turned into a busy affair.

[autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] became the first former Tiger to hear his name called in this year’s draft after the Seattle Seahawks selected him with the No. 136 overall pick in the fifth round. Just 28 picks later, safety [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] was cross off the waiting list. The Indianapolis Colts drafted Simpson in the fifth round at No. 164 overall.

Simpson played five seasons at Auburn, where he tallied 116 tackles, seven interceptions, and 14 pass deflections. Simpson nearly matched his career-best in tackles this season by making 36 stops, one fewer than his 2022 total. He did however reach a career-best in interceptions by hauling in four with one being returned for a touchdown. He recorded three interceptions in Auburn’s first three games of the 2023 season.

Simpson competed in four events during the NFL draft combine. Several highlights include a 4.45 40-yard dash and a 39.5″ broad jump. Simpson joins former Oregon State wide receiver Anthony Gould and former Missouri safety Jaylon Carlies in being fifth round selections by the Colts.

Breaking it down: Colts select Auburn DB Jaylin Simpson at pick 164

Here is a quick breakdown with what you need to know about DB Jaylin Simpson from Auburn, the Colts pick at 164th overall.

After trading down with Philadelphia, with the 164th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected Auburn defensive back Jaylin Simpson. Here is a quick breakdown of the pick.

Height: 6-0

Weight: 179

RAS: 7.40

Stats to know: Simpson is listed as a safety, but of his 1,973 career snaps, 915 came as a boundary cornerback and another 307 from the slot. He’s also an experienced special teams player with 441 career snaps. Last season in coverage, Simpson allowed 15 completions on 25 targets at 11.3 yards per catch with four interceptions and four pass breakups. Simpson was one of PFF’s highest-graded coverage safeties in 2023.

Fit with Colts: The Colts could use added competition at free safety and bolster the cornerback depth; Simpson provides them with options at both. The Colts relied heavily on a young secondary last season and experienced inconsistent play, allowing too many explosive plays while not making enough plays on the ball, ranking 23rd in pass breakups. While help is needed on the back end, Simpson is a developmental prospect.

What Lance Zierlein had to say: “Long defensive back with speed, athleticism and ball skills that might have teams posting him in the cornerback column instead of at safety. Simpson has started at both positions but might be caught between the two. He doesn’t support the run well enough to instill confidence as a last line of defense and he can be a little tardy to get his hips flipped in one-on-one transitions as a corner. Simpson does pedal and match receivers in space, balancing his eyes between route progressions and the quarterback as a high safety. He also contests catches with good success. He’s a good football player with explosive traits, but teams will need to have a plan for how to use him.”

The Athletic projects James, Pritchett to be taken in the third round of the NFL draft

In its Round 2 and 3 mock draft, The Athletic forecasts two former Tigers to find professional homes on Friday.

Opening night of the NFL draft is behind us, and the SEC was well represented in the first round as 10 former players within the conference were taken by professional teams.

Could Auburn have their first representative selected on day two? Dane Brugler of The Athletic thinks so.

Following the action of the first round, Brugler released his NFL rounds 2 and 3 mock draft which included two former Tigers. Brugler projects former cornerbacks [autotag]DJ James[/autotag] and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] to hear their names called within the early stages of round three. James is forecasted to join the Carolina Panthers with the first pick of the third round, No. 65 overall. At the same time, Pritchett is projected to be taken by the Washington Commanders two picks later at No. 67 overall.

Both players see a jump in projection from Brugler’s last mock draft released on April 17. James was forecasted to go No. 97 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals while Pritchett was expected to be taken with the No. 105 pick by the Los Angeles Chargers. Former Auburn quarterback [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag] also jumped after Brugler’s projections showed him going to the Los Angeles Rams in the second round. Nix was chosen No. 12 overall by the Denver Broncos during last night’s first-round coverage.

Outside of James and Pritchett, two other former Tigers are expected to be taken during the final day of the NFL draft. Safety [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] is projected to be taken No. 133 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars according to Brugler’s April 17 mock draft while defensive lineman [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag] is expected to go No. 170 overall to the New Orleans Saints.

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Texans host former Auburn DB Jaylin Simpson for top-30 visit

The Houston Texans continue to look at options at safety in the draft following an aggressive offseason in free agency.

Another safety prospect is coming to visit NRG Stadium.

According to KPRC2 Sports’ Aaron Wilson, the Houston Texans will host Auburn defensive back Jaylin Simpson on Tuesday before the upcoming NFL draft later this month.

Simpson, a four-year starter for the Tigers, can play anywhere in the secondary. He began his career as Auburn’s starting nickel defender before switching to free safety full-time in 2022.

Last season, Simpson earned All-SEC honors while totaling 38 tackles and three pass breakups. His four interceptions ranked third among SEC players, trailing only Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston and Alabama’s Terrion Arnold.

Last month at the NFL combine, Simpson impressed during on-field drills, running at 4.45 40-time with a 4.55 20-yard shuttle. Simpson also posted a 40-inch vertical and an 11-foot-1 broad jump, both ranked inside the top 10 among safety prospects at the event.

The Texans are looking for position flexibility in the secondary heading into Year 2 of the DeMeco Ryans’ era. The nickel position is one area that remains unknown given the status of the safety room.

Jalen Pitre and Jimmie Ward were serviceable while helping Houston clinch its first AFC South title in four years, but were also inconsistent in man coverage. Pitre, who enters a crucial Year 3 with Houston, was credited with 14 missed tackles last season in coverage.

Ward missed nine games, including both playoff matchups, due to multiple injuries and was placed on the second-ending injured reserve in late December.

Simpson, a projected Day 3 pick, likely wouldn’t start from the jump, but his presence could raise the level of competition in practice. All three defenders have experience playing in the nickel, too. Pitre, who won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2021, shined at Baylor as the team’s starting STAR position.

Ward, who joined Ryans after eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, began his career at the nickel before transitioning to safety in 2018. In 2022, he shifted back to the slot role following the emergence of All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga.

The Texans currently own nine picks in the draft, including two picks in the second, fourth, sixth, and seventh rounds, respectively.

Keionte Scott elected to stay at Auburn, and Wesley McGriff deserves the credit

Scott flirted with the transfer portal in January, but returns to bring experience to a depleted Auburn secondary.

Auburn’s secondary is one of the least experienced units on the defensive side of the ball, so it needs as much leadership as possible.

After the departures of [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], [autotag]DJ James[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], who declared for the NFL draft, Auburn needed a player like [autotag]Keionte Scott [/autotag]in-house to provide leadership and experience to the unit. Earlier this week, Scott revealed that he almost left the program, which would have for sure delivered a blow to Auburn’s defense.

Scott entered the transfer portal for a short time in January before pulling his name out of consideration just two days later. What sparked his return? The return of defensive backs coach [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag]. McGriff took a step back from his on-field duties last October before leaving the program to join Mike Elko’s staff at Texas A&M. The deal with Texas A&M fell through, which led him back to Auburn.

Scott says a brief chat with McGriff made the difference.

“We talked a lot throughout the process and stuff like that,” Scott said. He was able to still mentor me through the process of everything. So ultimately having him come back, that was a plus.”

Scott, who will move to cornerback this season, says that the prospective of playing in new defensive coordinator [autotag]DJ Durkin[/autotag]’s defense, and staying at a place he loves in Auburn, also played a role in his decision to stay.

Scott enters the 2024 season with 72 total tackles, an interception, and four pass deflections. He has also returned 29 punts in two seasons on the Plains for 356 yards and a touchdown.

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Photos: The best images from Auburn’s 2024 Pro Day

A total of 17 players participated in front of scouts from 31 NFL franchises on Friday.

The NFL draft is next month, and several Auburn players had the chance to make one final impression in front of NFL scouts at Friday’s Pro Day at the Woltosz Football Performance Center at Auburn University.

Auburn’s Pro Day had 17 participants including [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag], and [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag]. Several highlights from Friday’s workout include Marcus Harris’ 34 bench press reps, Jaylin Simpson’s 40-inch vertical, and [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag]’s 4.52 40-yard dash.

Here are some of the best images from Auburn’s Pro Day workout courtesy of Jake Crandall of The Montgomery Advertiser.

Photos: Auburn’s 2024 NFL scouting combine participants

Simpson and Pritchett are two of five Tigers who have spent the last week showcasing their talents in Indianapolis.

Many prospects flocked to Indianapolis, Indiana last week to participate in the NFL scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, including five former Auburn Tigers.

Defensive backs [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], and [autotag]DJ James[/autotag] joined defensive linemen [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag] by competing in several drills and interviews throughout the week.

James, Simpson, and Pritchett caught the attention of many this week due to their speed while Rogers and Harris showcased their strengths.

Here is a look back at Auburn’s week at the NFL scouting combine,

Atlanta Falcons have met with Jaylin Simpson on more than one occasion

Could Simpson and his home-state Atlanta Falcons be a great match?

The smoke surrounding a possible union between the Atlanta Falcons and former Auburn safety [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] has gotten thicker over the last week.

According to a report by Daniel Flick of Sports Illustrated, Simpson revealed during the NFL scouting combine that he met with the Falcons twice during Senior Bowl week. The meetings were “wonderful” according to Simpson.

“Usually, (when) you meet with a team, you meet with them once, maybe you get two or three. But I got to meet with them twice back-to-back. It was 20 long minutes. Just straight talking to get to know me. I think we had a great interview.”

Simpson, a native of Brunswick, Georgia, tells Flick that he did not particularly grow up a Falcons fan, but enjoyed watching former Falcons running back Michael Turner play. So much so, that he wanted to wear No. 33 on the football field just like Turner.

“I used to like Michael Turner when I was little,” Simpson said. “When I played little league, I played a little bit of every position at the time. I was a running back, so I used to like Michael Turner and I was No. 3. He actually made me want to switch my number. Because he was 33, I wanted to be No. 33.”

The link between Auburn and Simpson began to surface last week when Josh Kendall of The Athletic included Simpson on his Falcons big board. Matt Urben of Falcons Wire also named Simpson as a “target to watch” ahead of the NFL draft.

Simpson performed well at the NFL combine last week. He earned an athleticism score of 87, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47, and recorded a 39.5″ on the broad jump.

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2024 NFL draft: Giants address multiple needs in 7-round mock

The New York Giants address multiple needs and still land a QB in the first 7-round Giants Wire mock draft of 2024.

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana gets underway this week and draft prospects will rise or fall depending on how they test.

Before those wild swings occur, those of us at Giants Wire took our first stab at a full 7-round mock draft focusing solely on the New York Giants.

Because our previous Round 1 mock draft was so controversial, we eliminated all trades in this one. That’s obviously not how the actual draft will play out but only allowing a single trade last time was justifiably unrealistic as well.

For this mock draft, we once again used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator and left all settings on default. We chose only for the Giants.

Here’s a look at the Giants’ seven-pick haul.