Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons as good as advertised at 2020 NFL Combine

2021 NFL combine

Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons has long been considered one of the most gifted defensive players in the 2020 NFL Draft, and his performance at the 2020 NFL Combine Saturday night confirmed all of the massive hype that’s surrounded him since the end of the 2019 college football season.

Simply put, Simmons was spectacular.

His final workout numbers were unicorn-like. There hasn’t been a linebacker with his kind of diverse skill-set to enter the NFL since Brian Urlacher, who went on to have a Hall-of-Fame career. Simmons doesn’t have the same physical makeup as Urlacher, but his incredible athleticism and ability in coverage is the exact recipe defensive coordinators are searching for to slow down modern NFL offenses.

Simmons has long been considered a top-10 pick, but after Saturday’s workout, there’s virtually no chance he makes it out of the first five selections. The Detroit Lions (No. 3) and New York Giants (No. 4) are strong candidates to select him, and the Miami Dolphins (No. 5) have even more leverage to trade down if they decide Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa isn’t the answer under center.

Simmons’ workout is a great example of a player’s athletic traits matching his film. His tape and his Combine results are elite. And when you have such an elite prospect within reach, you take him.

That’s exactly what one of those teams picking in the top five will do this April.

Bryan Perez

Bryan is the founder of Pro Football Draft. His work has been featured on The Draft Network, NBC Sports and USA Today. Former CFL scout.

Follow him on Twitter: @BryanPerezNFL