Ohio State Buckeyes Linebacker Rising Up Draft Boards

The Ohio State Buckeyes defense has been outstanding this season. One reason for the success is a veteran linebacker who should be rising up NFL draft boards.

Nov 23, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Cody Simon (0) and safety Sonny Styles (6) celebrate following the win against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Sitting and waiting your turn to be the starter rather than transferring to a different school feels uncommon in the current era of college football.

That is the path that Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Cody Simon took and it is most certainly working in his favor.

In his previous four years in the Ohio State program, Simon did play in 44 games and started in 15. Despite earning a lot of playing time off the bench, opportunities to start really only came when Tommy Eichenberg or Steele Chambers happened to be out. With Ohio State often utilizing just two linebackers at a time, Simon had to take more of a backseat as the No. 3 guy in the rotation.

Coming into this season, the linebacker room was set to look very different. Sonny Styles made the switch from safety to linebacker and was competing for the starting Will job with C.J. Hicks. Arvell Reese was also expected to get reps with the first team defense after shining in the preseason scrimmages.

Despite plenty of athleticism in this room, there were certainly questions to be answered about how this unit would perform. The veteran in Simon was the key to helping the group perform at a high level though. In fact, he has done more than pull his weight, he is absolutely rising up NFL draft boards and increasing his stock.

The 6'2", 235-pound linebacker is a true box linebacker and can easily translate to Mike in a 4-3 or 3-4 base defense. Simon is tough against the run and plays strong, which has led to 65 total tackles in 10 games this year (30 solo).

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Cody Simon (0) sacks Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) during the second quarter of the football game in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Not only has he been a sure tackler but Simon has flashed his athleticism as a blitzer. To this point, he has tallied five sacks, which is actually second best to JT Tuimoloau's six.

Simon is without a doubt living up to the "block O" uniform as an extremely productive player and great leader for this team on defense.

If anyone expected Simon to be a fourth-round pick or later in the 2025 NFL Draft, that can be thrown out the window. At this point, it would not be shocking to see him become a second or third-round pick.

Not only is Simon one of the better middle linebackers in this year's class, but he has a strong chance of being Ohio State's best NFL linebacker product in a while.