NFL Draft Scout Believes Joshua Simon Could Be An Upgrade Over Jaheim Bell
This offseason, Shane Beamer witnessed a surprising exodus of offensive firepower from his football that he wasn't initially counting on. The biggest name from a national standpoint that was a part of the slew of exits was Swiss-army knife Jaheim Bell, who played primarily tight end but eventually was moved to running back late in the 2022 regular season due to the rash of injuries that hit that position group.
With the loss of Bell, along with Austin Stogner, Nate Adkins, and Traevon Kenion, Beamer and the offensive staff knew they needed to hit the tight end transfer market hard. Through their efforts, they landed veteran college players Trey Knox and Joshua Simon, who are expected to contribute heavily next season.
Simon, in particular, is a feel-good story because he's a South Carolina native, but he also offers an intriguing blend of physical intangibles to go along with his skill set. This combination has already garnered the attention of NFL Draft Scouts like John Vogel, a Draft Analyst for NFL Draft Lounge and RaiderRamble.com, who dove into his thoughts on Joshua's game on Monday.
The fact that Vogel hinted that Simon could be an upgrade over Jaheim Bell immediately caught my eye, so I reached out to John to inquire further about his thoughts on what led him to this conclusion, and this is what he had to say:
"For Simon, it’s size. He’s got three inches and more weight than Bell, so as a professional scout I’m looking at how I can use him. Bell is more of a gadget player where as Simon is a more traditional tight end who can stretch the seams [downfield] and use his size to create mismatches against linebackers [and] safeties," Vogel explained to me. "He’s not the athlete that Bell is, but I think his size at the very least makes up for the drop-off."
Without putting words in John's mouth, it seems that because Bell doesn't fit into a traditional box from a positional standpoint, it can potentially make it more difficult for an offensive play-caller to figure out how to properly utilize him. On the flip side, Simon offers a clear skillset for the tight end position but also possesses the size to beat his defender even if they know what's coming. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in 2023.
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