Isaiah Simmons is one of the hottest names in the NFL Draft, but he’s not about the hype
There’s a lot of hype surrounding Isaiah Simmons.
The Clemson linebacker is likely to be selected in the top 10 of this year’s NFL draft after putting together a solid career with the Tigers. He went to multiple National Championships and put together a strong junior season, finishing with 104 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks and three interceptions.
The 2019 Butkus Award winner, given to college football’s top linebacker, went from not knowing where Clemson is even located to becoming one of the school’s stars. And it’s partly because of the motto he embraces.
“My mom, sports was always second. Everything she taught us had to come first, chores, everything we had to do. If it was behavioral issues, we weren’t playing in a game, we weren’t going to practice. All that stuff came first,” Simmons said. “All of that stuff helped me become humble.
“I always wear these hoodie shirts that say ‘Humble Over Hype.’ There’s a friend of mine, she started the brand, and that’s something I truly believe. ‘Humble Over Hype’ is a serious thing that people should really live by. If I had to put into a saying, there’s no better way to put it than that.”
Considering Simmons’ journey to arriving in South Carolina, being humble isn’t necessarily a surprise. He was three-star recruit from Kansas, running track and playing football during high school, even winning state titles in the long jump. He was unable to attend football camps in the summer, that typically help attract schools to potential recruits, due to track obligations. Simmons was projected as a wide receiver at multiple schools, but no one big showed a serious commitment to him.
But then Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who has a background at Kansas State, took a visit to see him a week a before National Signing Day in 2016. The visit paid off.
Venables said upon seeing Simmons play, “that’s what they look like when they leave (Clemson).”
Once Simmons figured out where Clemson was located, and that they were very interested, he realized the program was a big opportunity.
“I really didn’t know much about Clemson. I had to look ‘em up, I didn’t even know what state it was in,” Simmons said. “I knew who Sammy Watkins was. But the first I really heard was 2015 when they were in the national championship, I kind of felt like they came out of nowhere. But the more and more I learned about Clemson, I learned they’ve actually been there a lot. We’ve had a lot of 10-win seasons. In the past 10 years I think we had nine 10-win seasons.”
He, of course, helped Clemson to three 10-win seasons. On top of that, this past year he was named ACC defensive player of the year and a first-team All-American.
But he’s not exactly a traditional player. Simmons, 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, lined up as a linebacker and a safety in Venables’ defense and moved to different spots during games. He played more than 100 snaps each at defensive line, linebacker, slot cornerback and deep safety.
When asked during his Combine press conference what position he plays, Simmons answered, “defense.”
“I think it’s really beneficial for me. I know years ago it wasn’t good to be a positionless guy. But now it’s become a benefit for me just because of all the versatility I’ll be able to do, play linebacker, play safety, whatever it is,” Simmons said. “I feel like it just helps me out.”
Simmons compared himself to Tyrann Mathieu, a player who can adapt to multiple positions, but is smaller than the Clemson product. Per Pro Football Focus, Simmons earned an above-average coverage grade at every position he lined up in. He’s also capable of moving sideline-to-sideline with running backs, while also covering tight ends or making plays in the middle of the field.
But keep in mind that he will only be partaking in linebacker drills at the Combine, teams did not request to see him conduct any defensive back drills, perhaps revealing a piece of how the NFL views him at the next level.
After his time in the complex Clemson defense, he doesn’t think there is an NFL scheme that he can’t make work. New Panthers defensive coordinator Phil Snow is known for his thick playbooks, but Simmons might be the kind of player up for the challenge.
For now he’s got the Combine to show off what he can do. It will be quite the challenge to ignore all the hype surrounding him until April.
“Mentally I feel like there isn’t anything I can’t do. I played every position except for a nose or 3 technique,” Simmons said. “When it comes down to it, I’m going to try with my best ability to do everything I can.”
This story was originally published February 29, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
