Former Ohio State star gets real about what he’s noticing already in his jump to the NFL

Ohio State had a strong offensive line last season, though the unit had to overcome several injuries to achieve its ultimate goal of winning a national championship.

One key injury was to left tackle Josh Simmons, who suffered a torn patellar tendon against Oregon early in the regular season. The Buckeyes also lost center Seth McLaughlin before the postseason.

Now, Simmons is nearly fully recovered from that injury and is preparing for his first NFL training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite the setback, Simmons was still selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. After going through OTAs, he opened up about the transition to the professional level.

“It’s not that big, I guess, of a jump — but it is a very big jump,” Simmons said. “There’s, like, some hands, you know, some of that — the moves are a lot more precise. Some of the guys know exactly where to strike you to kind of get you off balance.

“We obviously had straight dudes that are outstanding in practice — Jack [Sawyer] or JT [Tuimoloau] — so I kind of anticipated it. But yeah, it’s still faster.”