Josh Simmons started his career at San Diego State, playing there in 2022 before transferring to the Buckeyes. In that time, he showed himself as an elite offensive tackle.

It’s hard to quantify offensive tackles statistically, of course. Places like PFF do it with advanced analytics, but for most teams and scouts the offensive line is still a “you know it when you see it” type of judgment. Sure, teams look at how much players bench, and how many reps they do. Dash and sprint times still matter, but the way to know if you have an elite tackle is just to watch them block. And on that scale, Simmons passes with flying colors.

Draft Projection: Round 1?

Why the question mark for Simmons’ projection? Most mock drafts do have him in the mid-to-late first round, and most have him as the first Buckeye off the board. His value to last season’s National Championship-winning team could be seen in how much work the entire offensive line had to do to replace him. But that’s the real question. He tore his patellar tendon less than two months into the 2024 season. It’s not an ACL, and it will heal, but how much will an NFL team be willing to risk on a first-round pick with a knee already shown to be injury-prone?

If teams trust his knee, though, Simmons’ upsides are obvious. He’s not an elite impenetrable-wall type (few are nowadays), but he more than makes up for that with his strength and quickness. He can get out to the second level in the run game and make blocks in space. A team that is willing to risk taking him will get a valuable blocker on the line and a clear asset in the running game. But if his draft position slips, it will be because teams are worried about the knee.

This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Josh Simmons NFL Draft profile