Jeffery Simmons made a statement in his debut
There was a lot of optimism and excitement from the Titans fan base the second we saw that first-round pick Jeffery Simmons had been activated to the team’s 53-man roster. Many of us wondered how much of an impact someone could possibly make coming off an ACL tear just eight months ago, especially when many expected the rookie defensive tackle to miss the entire 2019 season.
However, Simmons is not your normal prospect/athlete. Coming out of Mississippi State, many scouts had him ranked as a slam dunk top-10 prospect in the 2019 NFL draft prior to tearing his ACL during the pre-draft process. In fact, Simmons was ranked only behind Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams as the top overall prospect in the draft, according the NFL.com
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The 19th overall pick made Titans general manager Jon Robinson look like a smart man in his NFL debut, as he was a constant force in the backfield whenever he was out on the field. As you would expect, he was limited to a snap count coming off a significant injury eight months ago. However, the former Mississippi State standout took advantage of the limited action he saw. Simmons finished with four tackles and one sack in his two-tone blue debut.
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Simmons has the potential to be one of the cornerstones of this intimidating defense for years to come if he is able to consistently be the dominant force that he was on Sunday as his snap count eventually increases.