Tag: Josh Simmons

Ohio State OL Josh Simmons declares for the draft

Ohio State OL Josh Simmons declares for the draft despite being sidelined with a knee injury

Add another name to the 2025 NFL Draft big board, if he wasn’t on there already. Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons formally declared for the draft on Wednesday.

Simmons has been out for several weeks since tearing a knee ligament in the Buckeyes’ loss to Oregon. Prior to the injury, the big left tackle had been playing some great football, showing both great athleticism and quickly developing technical proficiency with his shoulders and feet.

Agent Drew Rosenhaus, who announced that Simmons would enter the draft, indicates that the 6-foot-5, 310-pounder is ahead of schedule in his rehab and should have no problem being ready for the start of training camp. After a so-so first year in Columbus in 2023 after transferring from San Diego State, Simmons looked like a potential first-round talent in 2024 prior to his unfortunate injury.

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Video: Early names to know for the Lions potential first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft

Video breakdown of some early names to know for the Lions potential first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft

One of the byproducts of the Detroit Lions being a Super Bowl contender is that the NFL Draft has quickly become an in-season afterthought for most fans. The potential prospects and draft options aren’t nearly as pertinent when there’s a realistic chance for Detroit to be picking at No. 32 instead of No. 2.

Brad Holmes and his scouting staff aren’t forgetting about the 2025 NFL Draft. They’ve been hard at work evaluating prospects all over the country.

In conjunction with the Detroit Lions Podcast, here’s an early list of players who seem to fit what the Lions are looking for in a prospect who could wind up being the team’s first pick in the upcoming draft. It’s far from a complete list, but these are players that Detroit fans should at least be familiar with as the college football regular season rapidly approaches its end.

By popular demand, we’re holding off on any mock drafts until after the college regular season ends.

Ohio State football star receives massive bump in ‘College Football 25’

Ohio State football star receives massive bump in College Football 25 #GoBucks

Ohio State football will be kicking off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Noon on Saturday and will hope to show off some defensive improvement after a disappointing loss to the Oregon Ducks. On the virtual gridiron, however, we don’t need to wait until Saturday to see improvements as the latest update for EA Sports’ “College Football 25” gave a large ratings boost to one Buckeye superstar.

Jeremiah Smith has been setting the college world on fire and EA Sports’ has apparently noticed as he is now rated at 90 overall, which is an increase of six total points. Few would argue against this bump because the freshman phenom receiver has already tallied 32 receptions for 553 yards and seven touchdowns.

Offensive tackle, Josh Simmons, also received a ratings boost of five to make his new overall 90. Edge rusher, Jack Sawyer  and interior offensive lineman, Donovan Jackson, received moderate bumps increasing their ratings by one. Sawyer is now a 90 overall and Jackson sits at 92.

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Starting Ohio State football lineman “probably” done for the season

Ohio State football’s starting left tackle, Josh Simmons, is likely done for the season following a knee injury sustained against Oregon.

The Ohio State Buckeyes may be down a starting offensive lineman for the remainder of the season following a disappointing loss to the Oregon Ducks on Saturday.

Ohio State sustained its first loss of the season 32-31 on the road in a rowdy Autzen Stadium. The Buckeyes starter that went down is Josh Simmons, who it appeared had his left buckle while blocking against defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei.

While Simmons’ long-term prospectus is still unknown, head coach Ryan Day went on the “Buckeye Roundtable” on 97.1 The Fan, per The Columbus Dispatch’s Joey Kaufman, and said that Simmons was “probably” done for the season.

Obviously, if there is a chance that he returns, saying it is more likely he won’t than will isn’t ideal.

Simmons, who stands 6-foot-5, is from San Diego, California. He is in his second season with the program and started all 13 games last season. Simmons was a four-star prospect coming out of high school.

That said, Zan Michalski will be the next man up and should start at left tackle Saturday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Injuries sideline 2 more 2025 NFL Draft top-50 prospects for the rest of the season

Injuries sideline 2 more 2025 NFL Draft top-50 prospects for the rest of the season, including a leading contender for the top OT

It’s been a tough college football season for several 2025 NFL Draft prospects already, with a few well-regarded prospects suffering injuries that will sideline them until at least the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, if not longer.

Unfortunately, two more prospects who were prominent in the latest top-100 update of the big board have joined the injury list. Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons and Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison suffered season-ending injuries over the weekend.

Simmons had played his way into consideration as the top tackle prospect in the draft class, but a left leg injury puts an end to that upward momentum. The former San Diego State transfer was notable for his natural knee bend and flexibility as a left tackle. Hopefully, the injury doesn’t impact those qualities in Simmons.

Morrison was a regular fixture in first-round mock draft projections all season. The junior suffered a hip injury, and his availability to participate in the postseason draft events is uncertain.

Simmons and Morrison join East Carolina CB Shavon Revel, LSU LB Harold Perkins and some others as 2025 prospects who have played their last college football game due to injuries this year.

Chiefs scouting report: Ohio State Buckeyes OT Josh Simmons

The Kansas City #Chiefs could address their depth at offensive tackle by selecting Ohio State’s Josh Simmons in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs invested plenty of draft picks and free agent money in offensive tackles over the past two years. They shouldn’t stop. Left tackle Jawaan Taylor saw his level of play drop significantly after arriving in Kansas City, and young draft picks Wanya Morris and Kingsley Suamataia aren’t yet starting-caliber linemen.

Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid make the situation work because they’re generational geniuses, but Kansas City can’t rely on that duo to cover for sub-par offensive tackle play forever. The Chiefs should invest more draft picks into developing their offensive line.

Ohio State Buckeyes lineman Josh Simmons started at both left and right tackle in recent years. He is unofficially listed at 6 foot 5 inches tall and 310 pounds and has arms that surpass the league’s thresholds to play offensive tackle. Simmons needs to refine his kick step and slide, but he flashes the explosiveness to handle speedsters and wide-alignment rushers.

Simmons’ lower half has room to fill out, but his upper body pops on tape. He delivers powerful blows in pass protection that stun pass rushers. Simmons’ hands pack the knockback to stall the defender’s rush plan, and his strong arm extensions lock defenders out of his frame.

Defenders struggle to play through Simmons’ frame in the run game. Simmons must play with better balance as a run blocker to sustain his assignments for longer. He stops his feet and lunges sometimes and allows his chest to drift over his feet. Simmons needs to clean up these flaws before entering the NFL.

Ohio State opens its Big Ten conference schedule on Saturday, Sept. 28 against Michigan State at 6:30 p.m CST.

Josh Simmons receiving NFL Draft hype

Josh Simmons receiving NFL Draft hype #GoBucks

The 2024 Ohio State football season hasn’t even kicked off yet, but NFL scouts never get an offseason. Every year we hear about a Buckeye that has the potential to explode up draft boards and this year it appears the chosen one is Josh Simmons.

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus has provided an interesting list of one offensive prospect for each NFL team, and Simmons not only made an appearance once, but twice. PFF has the Buckeye offensive tackle as a prospect to watch for both the Green Bay Packers and Washington Commanders.

This may surprise most Ohio State fans as the offensive line has been a bit of a sore spot to discuss of late, but there is no doubt that he has made great improvements at left tackle since transferring in from San Diego State before last season.

It should be noted that he will have eligibility remaining after the completion of the 2024 season and if NIL numbers are right, could return in 2025.

We’ll have to see how Simmons performs on the field this fall and if the hype is real.

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5 stars: The best and worst of Ohio State’s win over Youngstown State

Who did well and who didn’t for the Buckeyes against Youngstown State? #GoBucks

Even though Ohio State football has started their season 2-0, it very much seems like the 35-7 win over Youngstown State was culmination of an underwhelming beginning.

Yes, a win is a win, and the Buckeyes will have a chance to get to 3-0 next week, but, sometimes those wins don’t always feel the same. This one felt like Ohio State should have won by more than the final margin, especially considering YSU’s level of talent compared to the home teams.

However, there were some very good performances, 5 stars, and some not so good, 1 star, in today’s win. Find out below who earn what distinction for Ohio State today.

Questions we want to see Ohio State football answer against Indiana

Here are some questions we want answers for on Saturday. What are yours that you want to see the Buckeyes answer? #GoBucks

Unlike many seasons for Ohio State football, there are more than a few questions surround it’s team this fall.

Many of the questions are fairly obvious, but they’re still without answers that we all want to find out about. What the start of the season brings is an opportunity for the Buckeyes to give us those answers.

Although my questions might not be exactly what yours are, we probably have at least a few of the same one’s heading into Indiana. Find out below what my questions surrounding this Ohio State team are, and hopefully, we get some answers for them by the time Saturday evening rolls around.

Ryan Day updates Ohio State quarterback race along with starting tackles

The Buckeye head coach updates us on multiple positional battles including quarterback. #GoBucks

One of the biggest battles for [autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] during fall camp has been who will win the starting jobs at both tackle positions.

It looks like one has been locked up, as head coach [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] said on his Monday morning press conference that transfer [autotag]Josh Simmons[/autotag] has the leg up and most likely will be the starter.

Simmons transferred in from San Diego State, where he played for former Michigan head coach [autotag]Brady Hoke[/autotag]. He started all 13 games at right tackle for the Aztecs, which tells us more than a few things. Simmons made a successful transition to the other side of the line along with beating out multiple players who had started their careers in Columbus.

As for the other starting tackle, it looks like [autotag]Josh Fryar[/autotag] is going to get the first crack but true freshman [autotag]Luke Montgomery[/autotag] is going to see playing time there as well.

Now on to the news that all of us are waiting for, the quarterback. Many thought that Day would announce a starter by now, but it seems like the coaching staff is split between the two main competitors, Kyle McCord and Devin Brown.

I gave my thoughts on the derby here, and it is certainly a possibility that both of them will see time early in the season.

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