Ohio State was able to survive without him and win a national championship, but the injury put Simmons’ NFL Draft stock in serious jeopardy.
Widely viewed as one of the best tackles in the country and a probable first-round pick, Simmons had a long road ahead of him after suffering the injury back in October, but at the Scouting Combine, he revealed that he is making significant progress.
While speaking to reporters, Simmons said that he is “way ahead of schedule” and that he will “probably be cut loose mid-April to give everybody a good pro day.”
This is huge news for the 22-year-old, who is still generally considered a first-round talent in spite of the fact that he is recovering from such a serious issue.
“It’s just a little speed bump,” Simmons said. “Once you get all that in your mindset, that you’re going to come back a lot stronger, wake up the demons inside you kind of, you know there’s no way to stop you.”
Simmons actually began his collegiate career at San Diego State, but transferred to Ohio State in 2023. It turned out to be a great decision, as the Buckeyes helped develop him into a highly-touted prospect.
There are plenty of teams around the NFL in need of help at the tackle position, and with such a limited supply of tackles on the open market, Simmons could be in high demand this April.