Jeffery Simmons Suffers Torn ACL

Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, projected to be a top 15-pick in the NFL Draft, suffered a torn ACL while going through position drills last weekend, according to Simmons himself. Simmons posted a statement on his Twitter account indicating that he will have surgery early next week. Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter) first reported that Simmons sustained a knee injury, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted that the injury is a torn ACL and that a surgery is forthcoming.

Of course, Simmons’ status as a top draft choice is now very much in flux, as he will probably be sidelined for his entire rookie year.

Simmons, who stands 6’4″, 300 pounds, appeared in 37 total games in his three-year career with the Bulldogs, managing 159 tackles (30.5 for loss), six sacks, and five forced fumbles during that time. He was named first-team All-SEC in both 2017 and 2018, and this season won the Conerly Trophy as the top college football player in the state of Mississippi.

Even before the injury, Simmons had some red flags. He was arrested for simple assault in 2016 after repeatedly striking a woman, though, for his part, Simmons says he was attempting to stop said woman from assaulting his sister. The incident occurred just before Simmons began his collegiate career and he was allowed to enter MSU while completing counseling programs. Williams was later arrested in 2017 for an altercation involving a woman.

As a result of those issues, Simmons was barred from participating in the draft combine.

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