Cleveland Browns: Jeffery Simmons now out of the question

As the 2019 NFL Draft class begins to take shape, the Cleveland Browns will likely look to a first-round defensive lineman. However, the “consensus” Browns pick of Mississippi State’s Jeffery Simmons is now out of the question.

The Cleveland Browns, for the first time since 2014, will not be picking in the top ten of the NFL draft. Instead, they’ll actually be picking in the bottom half of the order, at the No. 17 spot. With a draft so noticeably loaded with defensive talent, specifically in the front seven, the Browns were primed to grab a prime defensive tackle in Jeffery Simmons, likely to fall to their pick. That will almost certainly be out of the question now.

The Mississippi State product was projected to be a first-round pick, and maybe even be taken before No. 17, if things fell in the right way. Now, he will be laid up and on the shelf for a while, because unfortunately for him, he’s torn his ACL. Simmons was likely going to test incredibly well for his position, and likely keep his draft stock very high.

This isn’t the first red flag for Simmons, either. Rather, this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Due to a 2016 video that shows Simmons striking a woman by the name of Sophia Taylor, Simmons already had plenty of eyes on him. His draft stock was questionable, but we know that Browns general manager John Dorsey has ignored those flags before. Drafting Antonio Callaway and picking up Kareem Hunt just last week.

Combine both Simmons’ injury concerns and flags with character, and you have a recipe for draft day disaster. Simmons was not invited to the Combine, and even if he was, he wouldn’t be able to participate in it due to injury.

Simmons, more than most other top prospects, will be a total shot in the dark come draft night. Jeffery Simmons was, according to most mock drafts, was almost certain to be the Browns’ first-round pick. Now, he’s almost certainly out of the question.