Titans' Jeffery Simmons ranked No. 2 DT by NFL execs and scouts
The NFL is on a break right now. Minicamps ended in mid-to-late June, and players won't report for training camp for at least 10 more days in most cases. So, while we're in this period, NFL.com is in the process of slowly releasing its top 100 players.Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was horribly disrespected when he landed at No. 83, as he should have been much higher on that list. Honestly, Bobby Wagner landed at No. 81, and he's still a free agent as of this writing. However, that does not mean that Simmons will be disrespected by everyone.The NFL.com list is voted on by the players themselves, but a recent ESPN article tasked NFL executives and scouts with ranking the top defensive tackles in the league. Simmons was named the No. 2 defensive tackle in the NFL.Simmons shed 20 pounds entering the 2025 campaign to enhance his quickness. After all, strength was never an issue for him. And the results were undeniable.Simmons produced his best season, with 11 sacks on a 16.3% total pass rush win rate despite facing double-teams more than 65% of the time. That win rate ranked second among defensive tackles, while his 17 tackles for loss led all interior linemen.He nearly earned the No. 1 spot but fell just short in the voting."His tape was phenomenal," a veteran NFL defensive coach said. "And it's even more impressive doing it on a three-win team and getting little help around him."Simmons also forced three fumbles and recorded 21 quarterback hits last season. He won 20 pass-rush snaps against double-teams. This body of work led to a first-team All-Pro selection and a three-year, $105.8 million extension this offseason."His strength is elite, and now that he's realizing his pass-rush potential, he should continue to play really well," an NFL coordinator said.Through 15 games in 2025, Simmons recorded 67 tackles (39 solo), including the 11 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss mentioned above, as well as three forced fumbles, three passes defensed, and 13 stuffs. But it's not his stats that make him a monster on the field. Simmons brings an energy to the defensive line that most teams can only wish for. He consistently remains focused on the task at hand and is integral in keeping the defense as a whole focused, too.Only Leonard Williams (Seattle Seahawks) ranked higher than Simmons, with Jalen Carter (Philadelphia Eagles) coming in at third. If the Seahawks don't win the Super Bowl in 2025, though, Williams may not be above Simmons.The discrepancy in how executives and scouts view players versus how players view players is pretty interesting. Simmons has dominated his position for several years, but rarely gets recognized because the Titans are typically at the bottom of the league. It's hard to ignore what he puts on film, though, regardless of the Titans' record, and that's what the executives and scouts see; it's what opposing coaches see when planning to face the Titans' defense.This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Titans' Jeffery Simmons ranked No. 2 DT by NFL execs and scouts
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