Player Overview
Hailing from San Diego, Josh Simmons was a four-star offensive guard recruit that had offers from nearly 30 schools before choosing to stay close to home and attend San Diego State. After redshirting, the Aztecs immediately started Simmons at right tackle where he saw 799 snaps over 13 games. When the season ended, Simmons entered the transfer portal. Simmons chose Ohio State where he emerged as the Buckeyes’ starting left tackle for 2023. PFF ranked Simmons one of the best pass blockers in college football for that season even though he faced Chop Robinson, Adisa Isaac, and Javontae Jean-Baptiste. Simmons returned for 2024 and was off to a fantastic start. It came to an abrupt end when he suffered a knee injury in October against Oregon.
Strengths
- Large tackle that carries weight well and has enough length
- Quick feet and athleticism allow him to mirror pass rushers
- Awareness to handle twists, stunts, and blitzes
- Athleticism to pull, block in space and execute reach blocks
- Effective combo blocker that easily works to the second level
- Experience at left and right tackle
Weaknesses
- Depth and speed of kick slide in pass pro could be better
- Hands can get a little wide of their target
- Needs to improve grip strength to stay engaged in blocks longer
- Tends to duck head and lunge on contact to generate power
- Struggles to anchor against strong bull rushes
- Knee injury – some report a torn ACL – ended season early
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How He Fits on the Commanders
While Washington did a lot to address the offensive line last offseason, there is still work to be done. They signed Tyler Biadasz and Nick Allegretti to play along side Sam Cosmi and Andrew Wylie. Brandon Coleman was drafted in the third round and became the team’s full-time left tackle midseason. While this group had some very good games, they struggled to consistently open run lanes or provide solid pockets. This became more of an issue as the Commanders faced better teams.
The athleticism is dripping off of Josh Simmons. He easily and quickly moves all over the field to execute his blocks. He is a dogged blocker on the move, harassing defenders as he removes them the play. But, he can’t rely on that athleticism alone. He’ll have to get stronger to anchor against NFL power consistently and improve his grip strength to stay attached to defenders. His technique and footwork are good, but things like hand placement and depth of his kick-slide can be better.
Selecting Simmons would give the Commanders a few options for remaking their offensive line. With his athleticism and experience, he should be able to handle either tackle position. If he plays on the left, that would allow Coleman to shift inside to left guard – a position he played at TCU – and push Allegretti to right guard while Sam Cosmi recovers from his injury. Another option would be to leave Allegretti at left guard and have Coleman replace Wylie at right tackle, then kick Wylie inside to right guard. If you think Coleman should remain at left tackle, Simmons can replace Wylie on the right side. The bottom line is Simmons gives the team options for putting the best linemen on the field.
