Projected top 10 pick Jeffery Simmons is now facing a major blow to his first round NFL Draft hopes, as reported today originally by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the All-SEC defensive tackle suffered a knee injury which resulted in a torn ACL. Simmons says he was injured during drills while practicing in Boca Raton, FL. Here’s the official statement from Simmons himself.
— Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94) February 12, 2019
Simmons has been projected in the top half of the first round since his declaration to leave Mississippi State following his junior season, and is ranked as the fifth best prospect in the entire draft by NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah. Simmons was already going to face questions from teams regarding the off the field incident he was part of prior to his enrollment at Mississippi State, now these injury questions will add another layer for NFL franchises to consider. Simmons may suffer the same plighty as Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith, who has projected as a top 10 pick before suffering a devastating leg injury in his final collegiate game. Smith fell to the Cowboys, who selected him with the third pick in the second round of the 2016 draft. Smith’s first deal was good for 6.49 million dollars, about 9 million less than he could have expected had he gone where he was originally projected. The good news for Simmons is his injury is less tramautic than the one Smith suffered, so his recovery time should put him able to play perhaps late in the 2019 season, but certainly by 2020.
We’ll have more about this story on the Wednesday edition of the Thunder & Lightning Podcast, and later on today on SportsTalk Mississippi.
