To paraphrase an idea from the world of politics, do not tell me what you value at a position. Show me your top prospects at a position and I’ll tell you what you value at the position.
We can apply that idea to this list of top linebacker prospects. Look through these names and you will see what I value at the position: Athleticism, the ability to play in space, the fit in the modern NFL, the potential to defend the pass, and the likelihood of being a three-down player.
The players we grew up immortalizing, such as the Mike Singletarys of the world, are a throwback to a different time. An era when “three yards and a cloud of dust” was the rule, not the exception. To be a complete linebacker in today’s NFL you have to be able to stop the run on first down, and run with a seam route on third down. If you cannot do both, you are not going early in the draft. As such, the players with that ability – or at least potential – are getting the nod on lists like this.
So how do these players shake out?
1. Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
Height: 6’4″ Weight: 238
40-Yard Dash: 4.39 seconds
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 39 inches
Broad Jump: 11 feet
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Isaiah Simmons was a two-sport athlete for Olathe North High School in Olathe, Kansas. Simmons was a wide receiver and a defensive back on the football team, and a long jumper for the track-and-field team. Simmons was the state champion in the long jump in both 2014 and 2015, and his career-bests jump was 23’8″. But as a three-star prospect on the gridiron, he committed to Clemson over Michigan, Nebraska and Missouri. He started his career for the Tigers in 2017, playing primarily as a safety. In 2018 Simmons spent most of his time in the slot, and according to Pro Football Focus he fared well, as they graded him with an overall grade of 88.9 playing as a slot cornerback.
Last year, Simmons did it all. He played 100 or more snaps at edge defender, linebacker, strong safety, free safety and slot cornerback. On film, he excelled at every single position.
Stat to Know: Simmons is extremely disruptive at the catch point. He forced eight incompletions, tying him for the top number among linebackers last season.
Strengths: Where to begin? Simmons has the athleticism to cover wide receivers both out of the slot and on the outside. He has the awareness to make plays in space at all levels of the field. He has the size and length to erase tight ends in the passing game. Simmons was built to play defense in the modern NFL. It does not take long to see how he can impact a game. Take the National Championship Game against LSU. Right at the outset, he blitzes off edge on the first play of the game, chases Joe Burrow all over the field and keeps him (as best as he can) in the pocket. Second play of the game, covers Thaddeus Moss on a stick route, plays off him, breaks perfectly on the route for a pass breakup, and he reads the route concept perfectly. He plays sideline-to-sideline against the pass and the run. If you are running a route near him and he can get to you, he is going to put you on your backside with a jam (ask Moss about that). He can play as a half-field safety and break downhill on plays in front of him. He can run stride-for-stride with Justin Jefferson on a crossing route in the red zone.
Simmons can do everything asked of him on the football field.
Some might wonder about his ability to defend the run as a more traditional linebacker. The film shows a player who handles his responsibilities and assignments the right way. For example against Wofford he was tasked with handling the pitch man on speed option plays, and he did that assignment perfectly. So if you ask him to align at middle linebacker and fit into a gap against the run, he will do that too.
Where he does truly stand out is what he can do against the passing game. Given his experience at both safety and slot cornerback, everything feels natural for him. He can play off coverage over receivers, tight ends and running backs and click-and-close to the catch point like a cornerback. When in zone coverage he knows just how long to stick on a route before passing it off to the next defender. While he can play a single- or two-deep safety role, he can also play in the middle of a Tampa 2 in that underneath hole spot and erase tight ends.
Perhaps my favorite play of his is this one from the National Championship Game:
Simmons aligns along the boundary across from running back Clyde Edward-Helarie. He backpedals off the snap and recognizes the route concept, a smash-fade design with the running back running a hitch route and the slot receiver releasing vertically on a fade route. Simmons, despite the rub element to this concept, does not panic. Instead he slides down over the hitch while keeping an eye on Burrow, and when the QB throws the hitch route the defender is in perfect position to break up the throw at the catch point.
Weaknesses: For a player like this, we need to handle the weaknesses section a little differently.
The fear with Simmons is that an NFL team tries to pigeon-hole into a specific role. Whether as a “linebacker” or a “safety,” and by doing so eliminates the versatility and athleticism that Simmons offers on the defensive side of the football. If he is artifically hamstrung by old school minds on his NFL coaching staff, that will reduce much of what he offers. So the hope is that Simmons lands with a forward-thinking defensive mind who employs him more as a matchup weapon than anything else.
Now yes, there are parts of what he has done over the past few years that require a bit of projection. He played in a defense that was predominantly a 3-1-7 defense, and it is unlikely his NFL home is going to copy what Brent Venables put together for Clemson. So projecting him as an off-ball player fitting gaps against the run is a bit of an unknown. But again, asking him to be that kind of player is just overthinking what he can be in the NFL.
So the weakness is really just a lack of imagination from his NFL coaching staff.
Conclusion: The bottom line is that Isaiah Simmons is a defensive specialist that you can employ virtually anywhere on the field. You can see him rush the passer off the edge on first down, lock down a tight end on second down, and run with a slot receiver on third down. He can play a single-high safety look, or as a half-field safety, or even at boundary corner if necessary. His best “traditional” NFL role might be as a middle linebacker in a heavy Tampa-2 defense. He could be the modern version of Derrick Brooks in that role, running with tight ends and slot receivers, but in today’s game there is so much more that he can do. Draft him and just start dreaming of different ways to employ him.
Comparision: Captain America. Iron Man. Superman. Black Panther. Thor. Basically pick a superhero and that is Isaiah Simmons. Except Batman. He was a rich guy who bought a ton of toys. That is my hot take for the day.
