Isaiah Simmons was born to play in Brian Flores’ defense, and he apparently knows it
The search continues for the best quarterback fit for the Miami Dolphins and their offense.
But you only need to look one place for the Dolphins’ best defensive fit in the NFL Draft.
His name is Isaiah Simmons from Clemson.
And what position does he play?
“Defense,” Simmons told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday.
The response elicited a collective chuckle.
But there’s some truth in most every joke.
And in 2019, Simmons said he played every position on defense but defensive tackle. In fact, he said he plays “positionless” football, a la the 2010-2014 Miami Heat.
Simmons’ multiple roles
One play, he would rush the passer from around the edge. The next, he would pick up a running back coming out of the backfield. And the one after that? Lining up as a nickel cornerback against a slot receiver.
Put another way, he is a bigger, and perhaps just as fast, version of Minkah Fitzpatrick, the one-time Dolphins first-rounder who forced a trade to Pittsburgh last fall in part because coach Brian Flores put too much on his plate.
There would be no such chafing from Simmons, the draft’s sixth-best prospect, according to NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah.
“Simmons is an extremely versatile, athletic defensive chess piece,” Jeremiah wrote. “He is a long, rangy athlete who lined up at linebacker, over the slot and in the deep middle for Clemson, thanks to his diverse and unique skill set. Against the pass, he has terrific range and instincts from the deep middle. He has the speed and agility to match up with top-flight tight ends and backs underneath. He is an explosive blitzer off the edge and in through the middle.
“Simmons overpowers running backs in protection,” Jeremiah added. “Against the run, he takes good angles, and his speed allows him to make plays from the back side. He will struggle at times if he has to take on blocks on the edge. Overall, Simmons is built for today’s NFL, and his role could change week to week, depending on the opponent.”
A great fit with Dolphins
Again, this is precisely the kind of player Flores covets. Simmons would single-handedly fill a bunch of personnel holes on a Dolphins defense that values multiplicity and unpredictability.
But don’t take our word for it. Just ask Simmons his opinion on how he would fit in Flores’ scheme.
“The way his defense is, obviously I would be a fit-in guy there,” Simmons said. “I feel like that I could go there and be very successful.”
Basically, Flores would likely take the Brent Venables blueprint and add his own flourishes. Venables is Clemson’s defensive coordinator, and as responsible as anyone for Simmons’ success at Clemson.
Simmons was a three-star recruit out of Olathe, Kansas, who didn’t even know what state Clemson was in when Venables discovered him in 2014.
After redshirting his freshman year, Simmons saw his role increase with each season on campus, capped by Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year campaign in 2019, when he had 104 tackles (16 1/2 for loss), eight sacks and three interceptions.
He became a national fascination for his willingness (and ability) to do anything on the defensive side of the ball.
“The hardest part about that was the mental aspect, having to know what everyone is supposed to do,” Simmons said. “That was the most complicated thing I had to deal with. I learned everything very fast and I feel like that’s what benefited me and helped me play at a high level. At Clemson, our back seven, we all meet in the same room, so I’m able to hear everything at one time, as opposed to having to go from room to room to room.”
On Thursday, as he met with NFL reporters for the first time, about the only question for which Simmons had no answer was this: Who is his closest comp currently playing in the NFL?
“I don’t know if there is truly one person you can compare me to, just for all the different things I do,” he replied.
Instead, Simmons said he takes a little bit from a bunch of people. He models his pass rush after Broncos defensive end Von Miller. He learns man technique by watching Rams corner Jalen Ramsey. And he loves the versatility of Chiefs defensive back Tyrann Mathieu.
If he somehow takes the best traits from these three stars and applies it to his game, Simmons won’t just be the versatile player in the NFL.
He will also be the best.
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 1:17 PM.
