Pick it Apart!
The Draft is in the books and the dust has settled. But how well did your team do in the first round?
We are taking a look back at every selection in the first round and giving you the lowdown on the pick; Was it a reach? Was it a steal? We’ll tell you and give you the impact for fantasy football….
Pick: #19
Player: Jeffrey Simmons
Drafted by: Tennessee Titans
Grade: B+
Analysis:
It didn’t feel right giving the Titans an A- for this purely because they got the injury discount.
Baked in to that as well is the fact that who knows whether Simmons will have the same juice and explosiveness on the edge. Uncertainty causes doubt, just look at the strength of the pound and Brexit. That being said, if Simmons was a full go and 100%, he would easily be a top 6 picks, well top 7 because you know…the Giants.
The Mississippi State defensive tackle is regarded as one of the most talented in this draft class and was considered a five star recruit coming out of Noxubee County High School. Simmons choose Mississippi State over Alabama and Ole Miss and his production increased each year through college. Unfortunately, Simmons tore his ACL whilst training for the draft so it’s unlikely that we will see him in 2019. When he does return, he’ll slot quite nicely in this Titans defence that is ridiculously underrated. After investing in linebackers Harold Landry and Rashaan Evans in 2018, this Titans defence has plenty of upside, youth and talent.
But what does Simmons bring on the defensive line?
The 6”4, 300+lbs pass rusher is an impressive physical specimen, with lots of power and strength who will be a handful for double teams, let alone man to man.
On the flip side though, there are character concerns. In March 2016, he pleaded no contest to simple assault after attacking a woman (why? Just why do people do it?) but has been “out of trouble” since.
All in all, if Simmons can come back from the ACL tear and regain his elite talents, this could be a home run pick for the Titans and a pick that could see their defence be a stellar one for the foreseeable future. They’ll need him to be elite, with the depth at the position not great and other injuries there too.
Fantasy Football Impact:
Simmons certainly wont be troubling draft boards or IDP leagues this season, you have to wonder if he ever will considering the position he plays. In standard leagues, the Titans pose themselves as undrafted types, but that is an error on the GMs part because I think the Titans will keep opposing teams to low scores (3rd best in pts allowed, 8th best in yards allowed) and they have good turnover abilities on the back end. A sleeper pick for me.
