April 13, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive tackle Josh Simmons (71) competes during the first half of the LifeSports spring football game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Disp / USA TODAY NETWORK

New York Giants Draft Prospect: OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Nick Falato | Last updated Mar 1, 2025 4:41 PM ET

Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury in mid-October, and he will need to be thoroughly checked out. But if he's indeed on the mend, as is believed, he offers positional flexibility on the offensive line.

Josh Simmons, OT

A former three-star recruit out of Helix High School in La Mesa, California, where he was the 35th recruit in the state and the 26th interior offensive lineman in the 2021 recruiting class.

He initially attended San Diego State University for one season where he struggled. He surrendered four sacks and 24 pressures with 17 penalties in 2022.

Simmons transferred to Ohio State and started the last two years until he tore his patellar tendon against Oregon in Week 7. He surrendered 40 pressures and five sacks through his 1,005 pass-blocking reps in college.

He’s taking 1,130 snaps at LT and 800 at RT. Simmons only surrendered one pressure in 2024 and was having a momentous turnaround but the injury derailed his season. Despite missing half the season, Simmons was honored with a Third-Team All-Big 10 bid.

Strengths

Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons college football highlights: https://t.co/skBndC4eTf pic.twitter.com/8CEEY41bIW
— ImBearingDown (@ImBearingDown) November 30, 2024

Weaknesses

Summary

Simmons was well on his way to the top 15 of the NFL draft before he tore his patellar tendon. Now, depending on his recovery, he may be a massive discount for a team.

Simmons possesses excellent athletic traits with quick feet, burst, and smooth change of direction. He’s a fluid athlete that’s capable of executing any run blocking scheme and is an asset in space. Simmons understands positioning and his hands took a massive step forward in 2024.

He’s an adept pass protector with a very high ceiling. He’s not the strongest offensive tackle, and there were times on tape when heavy hands would initially jolt him back; still, his ability to re-sink his hips and reset himself was impressive – he can recover if he initially concedes ground.

Overall, Simmons is arguably a top-10 talent in the draft who will likely fall due to injury. Medical checks will be crucial for him at the combine.

GRADE: 6.79M (medical flag)

This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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