With the NFL regular season winding down and the team looking like they will be on the outside of the playoffs looking in, it is time for Dolphins fans to shift their focus to the offseason and the 2025 NFL Draft. Jason McIntyre of Fox Sports and the co-host of The Colin Cowherd Show released his first mock draft of the season. He has Miami selecting 12th and the Dolphins taking…
12. Miami Dolphins: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
He only started six games this season, with no sacks allowed in those games, before a knee injury ended it. Simmons is a player who could start at RT for a year, or maybe just start his career at LT if the Dolphins move away from the oft-injured Terron Armstead.
Josh Simmons Draft Profile from NFLDraftBuzz.com
Josh Simmons, a towering presence on the offensive line, has made waves since transferring from San Diego State to Ohio State. Born and raised in San Diego, California, Simmons honed his skills at Helix High School, where he emerged as a four-star recruit, catching the eye of several top-tier college programs.
Simmons began his collegiate journey at San Diego State, where he immediately made an impact. In 2022, he started all 13 games for the Aztecs, logging an impressive 799 snaps. His performance caught the attention of Ohio State, leading to his transfer for the 2023 season. At Ohio State, Simmons quickly established himself as a cornerstone of the offensive line, earning the starting left tackle position and starting all 13 games for the Buckeyes.
Throughout his college career, Simmons has demonstrated remarkable durability and consistency, starting 26 consecutive games across two seasons at two different schools. His versatility is evident in his ability to excel at both left and right tackle positions.
Simmons projects as a high-upside offensive tackle prospect with the potential to develop into a reliable NFL starter. His combination of size, strength, and experience against top-tier competition makes him an intriguing prospect for teams looking to bolster their offensive line. While he has shown improvement in reducing penalties, Simmons will need to continue refining his technique, particularly in pass protection against speed rushers and in sustaining blocks in the run game.
At the next level, Simmons is best suited for a power-based offensive scheme that can maximize his strengths in drive blocking and downfield mauling. His versatility to play both tackle positions adds value, potentially allowing him to compete for starting roles on either side of the line. With continued development in his footwork and hand placement, Simmons has the tools to become a solid contributor in the NFL, particularly in an offense that emphasizes inside zone running concepts.
As teams evaluate Simmons, they’ll be weighing his impressive physical traits and collegiate production against the technical refinements he’ll need to make to succeed against NFL-caliber edge rushers. His potential as a cornerstone tackle will likely see him garner significant interest in the middle rounds of the draft, with the possibility of rising higher if he can showcase improved technique during pre-draft workouts.
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Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
Ichiro Suzuki made sure to call out the lone Hall of Fame voter who left him off their ballot at Sunday’s induction ceremony. Ichiro infamously fell one vote short of a unanimous induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the unidentified voter who snubbed him was a major talking point when results were announced. Ichiro himself took the snub in stride, and he publicly invited the voter over to his house for a “chat.” During his hilarious Hall of Fame speech on Sunday, Ichiro brought up the vote, and publicly revoked that invitation. “3,000 hits or 262 hits in one season are achievements recognized by the writers — well, all but one of you,” Ichiro said. “And by the way, the offer for that writer to have dinner at my home has now expired.” The crowd on hand for the induction ceremony absolutely loved the jab, and it drew a rousing ovation. Ichiro delivered his entire speech in English and had several other great one-liners. His remarks were well-received by the Cooperstown crowd. Ichiro was an obvious Hall of Fame pick. He tallied 3,089 career hits and a lifetime .311 average, and that does not even account for his numbers in Japan. The one voter who left him off their ballot deserved to be roasted.
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes continued his charge toward the National League Cy Young Award on Sunday afternoon, pitching six shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 6-0 win. It also completed an utterly dominant month of July that saw his performance reach an entirely new level, even for him. Including Sunday's start against Arizona, Skenes made five starts in July and threw 27 innings. He allowed just two runs in those innings, and both of them came on one swing of the bat in a July 11 start at Minnesota, where he allowed a two-run home run against Trevor Larnach. Other than that one swing, nobody scored a single run against Skenes in the month, including his one inning of work in the 2025 All-Star game. Overall, his ERA in July was a microscopic 0.67 with a 0.88 WHIP, while striking out 36 batters (12 per nine innings) and walking just three. It is almost impossible for a pitcher to be more dominant than that over a single month. He has also yet to allow a first-inning run in any start this season. All of this has only strengthened his argument for the 2025 NL Cy Young Award. Through the end of July, his ERA for the season is down to just 1.83, while he leads the National League in ERA, FIP (fielding independent pitching) and WAR (Wins Above Replacement), while trailing only Philadelphia's Zack Wheeler in WHIP (0.89 to 0.90). Sunday was the 45th start of his career, with his career ERA now sitting at 1.89. That is the third-lowest of any pitcher in baseball since ERA became an official stat in both leagues. He is sandwiched between a bunch of pitchers who played before the live-ball era. In other words, nobody watching baseball today has ever seen anything like this to start a career. The only thing working against him this season is that the Pirates offense has been consistently bad, so even with his dominance, he only owns a 6-8 record, while the Pirates are just 11-11 overall in his starts. That is a knock on the Pirates offense. Not him.