Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons is widely considered to be a first-round talent, but a torn patellar tendon suffered last October has raised questions about his availability for the 2025 NFL season.
Most teams are already convinced of his talent and have been more focused on his knee during the pre-draft process. Multiple reports in March indicated that Simmons is “ahead of schedule” in his rehab; he even did a brief workout at Ohio State’s pro day.
Recent reports project growing confidence about Simmons’ knee, which has moved him up last-minute mock drafts.
“Teams don’t sound concerned about his long-term availability, as they anticipate he’ll be ready around the start of the regular season,” wrote The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, who mocked Simmons to the Bears with the 10th overall pick. Howe also mentioned some concerns about the 22-year-old’s maturity and passion for the game, but emphasized that he has the long-term upside to be a first-round pick.
Simmons was also projected to the Dolphins at No. 13 by CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones after medical rechecks cleared his knee.
However, the initial severity of Simmons’ injury has caused some doubt that he will be ready to play by the start of the regular season, according to Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline, who believes that November may be a more realistic timeframe for his return to the field.
Simmons’ draft slot will reveal how teams really feel about his knee. A top-15 pick would indicate confidence that he can contribute in 2025, while slipping to the end of the first round (or out of Day 1 entirely) will hint at a potential redshirt rookie year.
hes a bear
I think Josh Simmons and Josh Conerly Jr could wind up being the best LTs coming out of this draft class
In the 3rd/4h round you can definitely get good value out of guys like Cameron Williams and Emery Jones who I think will have solid careers themselves.
Jack Nelson could be a steal in the 5th/6th himself. Wisonsin just knows how to develop linemen.
Theres no way to know he’s back from the injury. It’s not returning to health that’s the concern. It’s returning to previous level of play. That will not be known until he’s back on the field and makes him way too big of a risk in the top 15.
The two most recent linemen I’ve found thst had the injury are Lucas Niang and Cole Strange. Niang was a rookie starter at the time of injury. He missed 11 months and never started again before being released. Strange missed 12 months and started 2 games upon return for a horrid Patriots OL last year. The jury is still out.
It’s a helluva leap of faith to think he’ll make it back AND make it back in 10 months to be ready for the season opener.