Eric Sorenson
The Arizona Cardinals had plenty of options on the clock with the eighth overall pick Thursday evening but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to select one of the most versatile defenders and best overall athletes in the 2020 NFL draft in Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons.
We got him.
The newest member of the defense.
Welcome to Arizona, @isaiahsimmons25!#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/MGgNbeRInU
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) April 24, 2020
With the Cards trading for Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins last month and addressing other need areas in free agency, many believed General Manager Steve Keim would opt for offensive line help early in the draft but the intrigue around Simmons was just too good to pass up.
Versatility is the name of the game with Isaiah Simmons.
While listed as a linebacker, Simmons lined up all over the field last season. He was 1 of 4 FBS players in 2019 to have 100+ snaps at OLB, ILB, CB, and S. pic.twitter.com/MiHwx996eh
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 24, 2020
The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Simmons, an under-the-radar recruit of Dabo Sweeney from Olathe, Kansas is a prototypical four-down player who will give Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph flexibility to move around given the down and distance.
“Isaiah Simmons is as advertised,” Swinney said in a statement through the Cardinals. “He’s a graduate and incredibly smart from a football standpoint. He played five positions and clearly wanted to execute at different positions for us, which demonstrates his knowledge and diversity. But he’s a unicorn. You don’t find guys like him that can play safety, that can cover, that can blitz like a defensive end and that can play linebacker. The biggest thing I can say about Isaiah is if you get 53 men on the roster, he’s like getting 56.”
Coincidentally, Simmons had a key interception in the Tigers comeback win over Ohio State in College Football Playoff semi-final at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
