Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!
With the New York Giants emerging victorious in the Chase Young Bowl against the Washington Redskins, Big Blue now finds themselves sitting with the 4th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Of course, if they fall to the Philadelphia Eagles next weekend, they could land in the 3rd slot, which would give them a small chance at landing the generational pass-rusher.
However, with the focus shifting from a guaranteed selection to a less than probable one, the name Isaiah Simmons has begun popping up. The Clemson linebacker has had a stellar 2019 campaign, totaling 93 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, 7.0 sacks, six passes defended, and two forced fumbles.
Clemson hybrid LB/S Isaiah Simmons is an outstanding blitzer. Timing, burst & finish. He has the versatility & athleticism every DC is looking for. pic.twitter.com/8xK4iZ8s6F
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) October 4, 2019
Isaiah Simmons:
OLB
6'4 230
4.37 clocked 40 – expected 4.45 due to bulking up
200 meter dash faster than OBJ in high school
3 time long jump state champ
11' 10'' standing jump
93 tackles 6 sacksRunning back and offense destroyer pic.twitter.com/YAuFEP7pq0
— Anthony Tomaino (@AnthonyNYGiant) December 20, 2019
Simmons is often the best player on the field at any given time for Clemson, who has boasted a premium-level defense in recent years. If the Giants elect to stick with the 3-4 defensive scheme, Simmons makes complete sense alongside Ryan Connelly, who climbed the depth chart and overcame Alec Ogletree for the starting job. Connelly tore his ACL in week three against Washington the first time around, but he has made significant progress in his comeback.
Pairing Connelly with Simmons would give the New York Giants a great one-two punch at linebacker, considering his abilities to not only cover tight ends and running backs in the flat but his pass-rush speed as well. Filling the void at outside linebacker would become the priority. We can assume Markus Golden, who has racked up 10.0 sacks this year, will earn an offer from GM Dave Gettleman. It’s also possible they target another pass-rusher in free agency, despite the plethora of talent they need to inject into the secondary.
With the lackluster performance from the Giants’ defense this year, we can expect Gettleman to work diligently in free agency before the better players are plucked from the market.
Nonetheless–
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