KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Isaiah Simmons achieved a dream Thursday when he was selected No. 8 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals — and he owes a small debt to one of the Chiefs’ brightest defensive stars.
Growing up in Johnson County, where Simmons became a football and track-and-field star at Olathe North, he says he modeled his game after safety Tyrann Mathieu.
“I like former Cardinal Tyrann Mathieu, his versatility that he has within his game, as well as (Chargers safety) Derwin James,” Simmons said on a conference call with reporters. “We kind of played similar roles, so I would definitely say I modeled many parts of my game after those two.”
He said it’s also going to be “really crazy” sharing a locker room with teammates like Chandler Jones and Patrick Peterson, “because I’ve been playing with them on Madden for a really long time, and now I’m their teammate.”
Now, Simmons — who was so skinny as a high school freshman, his former coach dubbed him “Slimmons” — hopes to inspire the next generation of football players as he enters the NFL as a new breed of linebacker.
Before his redshirt sophomore season at Clemson in 2018, Simmons switched positions from safety to linebacker. He became a tackling machine, leading the Tigers in tackles each of the last two seasons.
But it’s his speed and agility to cover downfield like a safety, while also racking up more than 200 tackles and 25 tackles for a loss during the last two seasons that truly makes him a marvel.
“I bring a lot of versatility and a guy that is not narrowed down to one position. I can be used in any way to help the defense in any possible way. If I need to play safety one week, linebacker one week or get after the passer, I can get all that done.”
Simmons credited the “trust” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables had in his talent for fostering his unique versatility.
“The plan each week was pretty experimental,” Simmons said. “We weren’t quite sure if it was going to work or not, and it happened to work week-in and week-out.”
Moving forward, Simmons said he’s comfortable continuing to develop as a Swiss Army-knife type player or settling into whatever position the coaches want him to master, which may be an easier task during his first offseason with limited on-field and in-person work.
But none of that daunts Simmons.
“I feel that I’m really good at learning football, so I don’t think I’ll have any issues with it,” he said. “The in-person is always good, but knowing that it will be virtual will be fine.”
The draft’s virtual format because of stay-at-home orders and social-distancing measures in place to halt the spread of COVID-19 did rob the moment of some of its magic, Simmons admitted.
“Celebrating at home is kind of weird,” he said. “There’s only a couple of us. When I’m done with these interviews, I’m going to get with them, watch the rest of the draft and see where some of my buddies fall. We’re all just really excited, and there’s not much we can really do except enjoy each other’s company.”
Getting drafted didn’t quite line up with the dream in his head of strolling across a Las Vegas stage and hugging — or at least shaking hands with — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
But hearing his name called was an awesome experience nonetheless.
“I was kind of bummed just because I wanted to walk across the stage, but this is a life-changing moment and something I’ve always dreamt of,” Simmons said. I’m really excited about it regardless if I was in Las Vegas or not. It’s nice to just enjoy this time with my family.”
He also had a message for Cardinals fans about his plans to immerse himself in the Phoenix community.
“To the Cardinals, as good as I may be on the field, I feel like I’m an even better person in the community,” Simmons said. “I’m somebody that is going to impact the community as well as the team.”
