*****The Josh Simmons Thread*****

[Dante84]

More to come!

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— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) April 25, 2025

Several teams agree: Josh Simmons had best tape of any OT last year. And they aren't very concerned with recovery on the torn patella tendon. More of the concern is maturity/character. But he's going to the ideal, veteran-laden place.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) April 25, 2025

the #chiefs get LT Josh Simmons out of Ohio State. If Simmons didn't suffer a torn patellar tendon he would have been the first tackle off the board. I had one team tell me he was the most athletic and talented tackle tape they watched. There are some maturity issues, but this…

— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) April 25, 2025

The #Chiefs have selected #OSU OT Josh Simmons at No. 32, a player recovering nicely from a torn patellar tendon. They are comfortable with his rehab and did endless homework on it. https://t.co/awdb0JhPed

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 25, 2025

The #Chiefs are selecting Ohio State LT Josh Simmons at No. 32 to close out Round 1.

A key addition to bolster the offensive line in front of Patrick Mahomes. pic.twitter.com/oBx2CjzmCe

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 25, 2025

[Marcellus]

Josh Simmons, an Ohio State left tackle, suffered a season-ending knee injury during a game against Oregon on October 12, 2024. Initially speculated to be an ACL tear, it was later confirmed as a torn patellar tendon. The non-contact injury occurred while pass-blocking, causing his knee to buckle, and he was carted off the field. Ohio State coach Ryan Day confirmed on October 22, 2024, that Simmons would miss the rest of the 2024 season. Simmons underwent surgery performed by renowned orthopedic surgeon Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, as he prioritized rapid recovery for the 2025 NFL Draft over staying with the team.

Simmons has been reported to be “way ahead of schedule” in his rehabilitation, with positive medical reviews at the NFL Scouting Combine in March 2025. He performed a brief workout at Ohio State’s pro day and stated he expected to be cleared for a mid-April pro day. NFL insider Ian Rapoport noted that Simmons is anticipated to be ready for the start of the 2025 NFL season, with teams expressing confidence in his long-term availability. However, recovery from a patellar tendon rupture is considered challenging, with some medical opinions, like that of Dr. Jesse Morse, suggesting he may not return to his pre-injury performance level due to the injury’s demands on knee stability.
Despite the injury, Simmons’ draft stock remained strong due to his elite performance prior to the injury. In 2024, he allowed no sacks and just one pressure in 158 pass-blocking snaps over six games, earning midseason second-team All-American honors. The Kansas City Chiefs selected him 32nd overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, citing confidence in his recovery. Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder and coach Andy Reid emphasized that Simmons’ surgery was successful, and he was progressing well, with expectations of being ready for training camp in July 2025. However, some teams expressed concerns about his maturity and the injury’s long-term impact, and estimates for his return to full play range from training camp to potentially November 2025.

Guess it all depends on what you want to believe. Time will tell.

[Dante84]

Originally Posted by smithandrew051

Thinking about this more.

The rest of the draft makes me feel significantly better about this pick.

We didn’t entirely miss out on RB (ours may be limited but he has the burst I wanted). We didn’t miss out on a Tranquil replacement (maybe even this year if he regresses further). We added 2 bodies to the DL. We got our WR at a tremendous value. We got another CB (not a guy most of us had on the radar but a good value regardless).

I didn’t love a RB in the first round with the depth of this class so I’m okay passing on Henderson. I wanted Burden but I like Royals a lot and I wouldn’t necessarily be happier with Burden and a project OT in the 4th. Another DL would’ve been alright, but were we realistically going to do much better than ONL and Gillotte?

I still don’t feel great about this pick, but I’m having a tough time answering “if not Simmons, then who?” with how the rest of the draft ended up.

That’s where I’m at.

As of today, I don’t know who would have been a better pick at that spot. We may look back in 2 years and play the whole “Tee Higgins over CEH” game with someone, but with what we have to go off of, I’m comfortable taking that risk with Simmons.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by Palangi

We should do an over/under on how long this debate will be dragged on. The same tired arguments of failure already

A discussion board would be awfully ****ing boring if everyone just gave homer views and everyone agreed with everyone else. This place is for discussion and the people bringing up the issues with this pick are some of the most knowledgeable people on this entire board.

It's not like people are making up things to be concerned about, especially given the talent that was still on the board at the time. It's gonna be really shitty if Simmons knee keeps him from becoming a starter and Luther Burden is an All Pro.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Womble

Has his leg been amputated yet?

Reading this thread you'd think the leg was amputated last fall.

[Wisconsin_Chief]

Originally Posted by smithandrew051

Thinking about this more.

The rest of the draft makes me feel significantly better about this pick.

We didn’t entirely miss out on RB (ours may be limited but he has the burst I wanted). We didn’t miss out on a Tranquil replacement (maybe even this year if he regresses further). We added 2 bodies to the DL. We got our WR at a tremendous value. We got another CB (not a guy most of us had on the radar but a good value regardless).

I didn’t love a RB in the first round with the depth of this class so I’m okay passing on Henderson. I wanted Burden but I like Royals a lot and I wouldn’t necessarily be happier with Burden and a project OT in the 4th. Another DL would’ve been alright, but were we realistically going to do much better than ONL and Gillotte?

I still don’t feel great about this pick, but I’m having a tough time answering “if not Simmons, then who?” with how the rest of the draft ended up.

This is really the perfect way to look at it. If we didn’t end up filling literally every need we had, it might be a different story, but this is exactly where I ended up as well. We really didn’t miss out on anything except potentially reaching a bit for a RB that our front office clearly doesn’t think we need anywhere near as much as we as fans do.

If they were going to take the risk on Simmons, they had to hit on every other pick, and they did. The board played out perfectly and they jumped up a bit when needed to get their guys. They aced this thing, plain and simple.

[smithandrew051]

Originally Posted by Dante84

That’s where I’m at.

As of today, I don’t know who would have been a better pick at that spot. We may look back in 2 years and play the whole “Tee Higgins over CEH” game with someone, but with what we have to go off of, I’m comfortable taking that risk with Simmons.

Yeah.

My fear was missing out on a WR for a LT with an injury. Well. We didn’t miss out on a WR. In fact, that may end up the steal of the draft.

Similarly, a lot of people (not me) didn’t like the Bassa pick right away. Fear of missing out on a RB. Well, any back we would’ve taken in Bassa’s place wouldn’t have been all that much better than Smith (especially given what we lacked at RB). A 7th round LB would’ve been far worse than Bassa given how the draft shook out.

[Palangi]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

A discussion board would be awfully ****ing boring if everyone just gave homer views and everyone agreed with everyone else. This place is for discussion and the people bringing up the issues with this pick are some of the most knowledgeable people on this entire board.

It's not like people are making up things to be concerned about, especially given the talent that was still on the board at the time. It's gonna be really shitty if Simmons knee keeps him from becoming a starter and Luther Burden is an All Pro.

I agree. The same thought would be boring
But this is more about the same thing over and over again. Nothing new

[srvy]

Originally Posted by Wisconsin_Chief

This is really the perfect way to look at it. If we didn’t end up filling literally every need we had, it might be a different story, but this is exactly where I ended up as well. We really didn’t miss out on anything except potentially reaching a bit for a RB that our front office clearly doesn’t think we need anywhere near as much as we as fans do.

If they were going to take the risk on Simmons, they had to hit on every other pick, and they did. The board played out perfectly and they jumped up a bit when needed to get their guys. They aced this thing, plain and simple.

This is yet to be determined. It looks good on paper but all hitting may be a stretch.

[mrbiggz]

My only problem with the pick is I dont think he is going to get better substantially on the bench. I would prefer he play guard just to get some PT, but not sure if that's in Andy's plans.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by Palangi

We should do an over/under on how long this debate will be dragged on. The same tired arguments of failure already

I think it's already done. This isn't the Alex Wars. There might be a few skirmishes that break out from time to time, and whatever happens to Simmons in his career, one side will occasionally bring up that time when history proved them right.

We had the debate. We had the bickering. We had the namecalling. I think that part is done.

Now we all just want Simmons to be a great LT.

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by mrbiggz

My only problem with the pick is I dont think he is going to get better substantially on the bench. I would prefer he play guard just to get some PT, but not sure if that's in Andy's plans.

Weird take.

If he's healthy enough to play, he's your Left Tackle. Full stop.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by mrbiggz

My only problem with the pick is I dont think he is going to get better substantially on the bench. I would prefer he play guard just to get some PT, but not sure if that's in Andy's plans.

Gotta look at him as a long term investment, given the horrible history of players with his injury its imperative to work him along gradually... until he is 100% confident there is no rush

Wouldn't even be mad if we redshirted him while we evaluate our 30 million Jaylon Moore investment

[RealSNR]

We're probably starting Moore Week 1.

What if he's also pretty good and the Chiefs have seen enough of Simmons from preseason and offseason work that they're convinced he won't be longterm limited by the injury? Sure, you could move one guy to a different spot on the line, but I think you keep your 1st round investment at LT and trade Moore.

Teams will have seen him be somewhat credible as a starter for two teams and two offenses by that point. He signed a 2-year deal with us, so trading teams would have time to reach a longterm extension. He would probably get us the equivalent of a 2nd rounder?

I get that stability and insurance on the OL is what we're gearing towards, but moving Moore over to a different position doesn't necessarily grant us that stability, and it would only be for an extra season. I think at that point you keep drafting and developing tackles the way most teams do.

[Kman34]

Originally Posted by mrbiggz

My only problem with the pick is I dont think he is going to get better substantially on the bench. I would prefer he play guard just to get some PT, but not sure if that's in Andy's plans.

What??

[Bl00dyBizkitz]

Originally Posted by Kman34

What??

Tackles can just play Guard. Easy peasy.

-CP