First-round prospect Jeffery Simmons suffers Torn ACL

Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi State defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, a potential first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, suffered a torn ACL Tuesday while training for his pro day. He was not among the list of NFL combine invites because of past issues relating to violence.

He confirmed the injury on Twitter.

Will Jeffery Simmons fall out of the first round?

This is a terrible turn of events for Simmons, who was widely considered a potential top-15 pick this April. He’s a disruptive 300-pounder whose penetrating skill set fits the trend of today’s interior defensive linemen, but there’s no way a team will invest an early first-round pick, if any first-round pick at all, on a player with a bad knee.

He’s all but certain to miss the entire 2019 season.

The only way Simmons will remain a first-round pick is if a team with multiple selections in the round decides to use one on him. The Raiders, for example, have three first-rounders and could decide to spend their last of the three (No. 27 overall) on Simmons is the equivalent of gaining an extra first-round pick in 2020. Simmons will be fully recovered and poised to make an impact by then.

He was already on shaky ground because of his history of violence. Add this injury to the equation and Simmons may be this year’s massive free-faller.

Simmons finished last season with 63 tackles, including two sacks and an impressive 18 tackles for loss. Here’s to a speedy recovery.

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