Isaiah Simmons could be the draft answer for Joe Judge’s Giants.
Two late-season wins likely cost the Giants a chance at Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young, but after the College Football National Championship on Monday night, Giants Twitter was positively abuzz about the 21-year old linebacker from Clemson.
“The things I would do for the #Giants to draft Isaiah Simmons.. #GiantsPride,” tweeted NYGToday.
“There’s no other player in this draft more versatile than Isaiah Simmons. Plays multiple positions & ST’s. Listening to Joe Judge, I know he’s going to utilize him to his strengths. Will the Giants draft him? Have to wait & see. But he looks to be his type of guy. #GiantsPride,” tweeted WBG84.
“NEED ISAIAH SIMMONS IN GIANTS BLUE,” tweeted jimmy_coppa.
NFL experts were also quick to laud the redshirt junior’s sensational performance.
“This game is a Simmons highlight tape,” tweeted Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL Network analyst and former scout.
“He’s like a create-a-player that you wouldn’t allow your friend to use,” replied Aaron Nagler, founder of Cheesehead TV.
This spring, the Giants will have the fourth overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft behind the Bengals, Redskins and Lions. A number of mock drafts have the Giants selecting Simmons.
The Giants have multiple holes to fill, most notably on the offensive line, but the defense gave up 28.2 points per game — third worst in the NFL.
Judge, who was hired by the Giants last week, spoke about his evaluation process at his introductory press conference.
“I didn’t look at them as a receiver, I didn’t look at them as a tight end, I didn’t look at them as a linebacker,” Judge said. “I’m used to looking at things from a big picture perspective on players in terms of what they bring to the team as a whole.
“Don’t try to shove round pegs into square holes. Figure out what you have. Let them play to their strengths.”
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound linebacker has shown an ability to seamlessly transition between protecting against the run, rushing the passer and covering receivers. Clemson’s defensive coordinator Brent Venables has proven adept at deploying Simmons. Of his 738 snaps in 2019, 35 percent were taken at slot cornerback, 32 percent were at linebacker, 18 percent were at deep safety, 14 percent were on the defensive line and 1 percent were at wide cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus.
Simmons’ versatility is paralleled only by his freakish athletic ability. His speed rivals that of teammate and two-time ACC player of the year, Travis Etienne Jr., who is 5-foot-10. His physical stats are slightly reminiscent of current Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who was selected first overall in the 2014 NFL Draft from the University of South Carolina. At the combine, Clowney was 6-foot-5, 266 pounds and clocked the fastest 40-yard dash time of any defensive lineman in the draft class at 4.53 seconds.
The emphasis on coverage ability has heightened with the changing demands of the linebacker position.
“The linebacker position has evolved unlike any other over the past decade,” Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus wrote. “In 2009, defenses had five or more defensive backs in on only 35.7 percent of plays. This season, that number is 58.0 percent, and it’s only climbing. … No one has displayed a more versatile skillset than Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons.”