Combine Winner: Isaiah Simmons Should Be Lions Top Draft Target

Lions have been looking for a player like LB Isaiah Simmons for years

If you watched any amount of film of the Lions 2019 season, one of the glaring weaknesses of Matt Patricia's defense was the play at linebacker. 

In the end, Detroit ranked 31st in the NFL in overall defense and 26th in scoring defense. 

The defense gave up an average of 115.9 yards per game on the ground and clearly did not make enough impactful plays. 

One immediate improvement would be drafting Isaiah Simmons out of Clemson.

His combine workout surely raised his draft stock. 

Many draft analysts believe he will be selected in the top 10 and possibly even higher. 

At 6-4, 238-pounds he showcased his plethora of skills during his combine workout. 

He ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash and recorded an 11-foot broad jump combined with a 39-inch vertical leap. 

Draft analysts are raving about what Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons brings to the table.

Many are calling him the perfect linebacker. He is versatile enough to play all over the football field.

As a junior, Simmons played 299 snaps at inside linebacker, 262 at slot cornerback, 116 at outside linebacker, 132 at free safety, and 100 at strong safety.

The one clear and major weakness of Matt Patricia's defense is the play at linebacker.

Simmons would be an immediate upgrade and would bring the Lions defense a modern linebacker who can do it all on the field.

The Lions have spent the last two seasons trying to find a guy even remotely capable of doing this. https://t.co/s01qE09CyD

— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) March 1, 2020

#Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons

6-4 (93rd percentile)
39” vert (92nd percentile)
11’0” broad (98th percentile)
4.39 40-yard (99th percentile)

This is Earth’s greatest defender pic.twitter.com/uXboqqGT0Z

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) March 1, 2020

According to Erik Schlitt of USA Today's Lions Wire:

"For the Lions, I believe his ideal fit would be as a JOKER safety. The Joker role, asks a player to play a significant amount of snaps at the linebacker level, mostly over the slot or tight end. The JOKER will also be asked to routinely drop into a deeper safety role, and occasionally they will be asked to shift inside over the A- or B-Gap."

If the Lions can secure a deal to trade down, Simmons should be the primary target in this year's draft.

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