On Thursday’s NFL draft night if the first round goes by and you don’t hear the name Jeffery Simmons. Start thinking about him wearing a star on his helmet.
The Cowboys are in the business of taking chances on players in the draft. Character issues that scare some teams away don’t bother Jerry Jones. See Randy Gregory who had weed issues coming out of Nebraska and went from being projected as a top ten draft pick to falling into the second round and being taken by Dallas at pick number 60 in 2015.
College injury issues will cause some players to taken off draft boards but not in the Cowboys war room. Sean Lee, Bruce Carter and Jaylon Smith all dropped to the Cowboys in the second round with their injury concerns from playing college football.
Jeffery Simmons torn his ACL in a pre-draft workout in February. That means he will most likely miss the 2019 season. Veteran NFL scout and administrator Chris Landry of LandyFootball.com, who used to work for Nick Saban and Bill Belichick in Cleveland, told me Simmons is a top ten talent in this draft.
Remember, the Cowboys history shows they will draft an injured player.
Before Simmons arrived to Mississippi State, he was charged with a simple assault and was suspended before he ever played a game as a Bulldog. It was an ugly family incident in which Simmons is seen on camera punching a woman while she was on the ground. That assault charge barred him from the 2019 NFL Combine. A recent rule created three years ago prevents violent offenders from attending the scouting event.
Jeffery Simmons has injury and character concerns. That means he can be guy on the Cowboys radar in the second round even if a safety they like is there.
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Yes, Dallas has all but said they will take a safety. A safety you can play in 2019 but Simmons is a first round talent with the ability to become a good starting players for the Silver and Blue. I would even say he is a perfect type of defensive lineman for defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
One of his coaches at Mississippi State thinks the talented defensive lineman will not fall far in the draft. He told me, “I don’t think he’s gonna drop, based on calls I’ve been receiving.” The Cowboys did not call this coach about Simmons.
The guys are over at dallascowboys.com Draft Show don’t see Simmons dropping to 58. Dane Brugler believes he will be drafted 25-50.
The draft is full of unexpected twists and turns. If Simmons is not a first round pick. I think Dallas will have their antennas up.
