Josh Simmons

Ohio State T Josh Simmons Declares For 2025 Draft

One of the 2025 draft’s top offensive tackle prospects has officially declared. Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons is heading to the NFL for the 2025 campaign, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

[RELATED: LSU T Will Campbell Declares For 2025 Draft]

Simmons was once in contention to be the first lineman off the board in 2025. However, the prospect suffered a knee injury in October that ended his season prematurely, with Albert Breer of SI.com revealing that Simmons suffered a torn patellar tendon. The player later underwent surgery and should be back on the field this summer.

“Josh will be fully cleared for practice by the start of NFL training camp and he will be a high first-round pick,” his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN.

Per Schefter, Simmons is “already ahead of schedule” with his rehab. Breer notes that the lineman was operated on by Rams’ team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache, and the reporter adds that it’s a “tough rehab” to overcome. Fortunately, the intended schedule should see Simmons fully recovered in time for training camp.

After two years at San Diego State, Simmons transferred to Ohio State and flourished under OL coach Justin Frye. The prospect was lauded for his agility, good hands, awareness, and elite strength during his one-plus seasons in Columbus, with the only knock surrounding the quality of his competition.

Thanks to the injury, Simmons will now have an uphill battle to be the first OL off the board. That title will likely go to LSU OT Will Campbell or Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr., but the Buckeye could battle the likes of LSU’s Emery Jones and Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery to be OT3.

Draft Rumors: Tackles, Buffs, Sanders

Often in the NFL Draft, offensive tackles are slotted into some of the top picks of the draft, usually as contenders for a No. 1 overall draft pick. Recent years saw Joe Alt and JC Latham taken in the top 10 in 2024, Paris Johnson and Darnell Wright in 2023, and Ikem Ekwonu, Evan Neal, and Charles Cross in 2022 alone. This year, while there are surely some candidates to be first-round picks in this year’s class, an elite, top-10 tackle seems to be absent among them.

LSU’s Will Campbell is seemingly the only offensive lineman who has been granted a consensus opinion as a first-rounder, but many doubt that he will continue to play tackle in the NFL. Per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, a perceived lack of strength has scouts shifting him inside to guard at the next level. Kelvin Banks Jr. at Texas held first-round potential for much of the year, but up-and-down performances throughout the year, accompanied by a rough performance against Georgia at home, have put that promise in doubt. Lastly, Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons likely held the highest chance at being a top-drafted tackle, but a torn patellar tendon will limit his availability until summer and diminish his draft stock.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid agrees with Breer’s sentiment, claiming that the entire offensive line group lacks the depth and top-end talent of last year’s group by a wide margin. He notes that Campbell, Banks, and Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea could all slide inside to guard and adds that most players in the class are getting Day 2 or 3 grades.

Here are some other rumors coming from the 2025 NFL Draft class:

  • While the merit of early Heisman attestations is still to be determined, Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders likely couldn’t care less. With several NFL teams in attendance to watch a drubbing of the lowly Cowpokes at Oklahoma State, Hunter and Sanders likely had eyes on late-April. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, one NFL executive claimed that not only are Hunter and Sanders going to be drafted in the top five picks, but he also believes they will go back-to-back at Nos. 1 & 2 overall.
  • In support of that prediction, Breer noted that the Giants sent a bevy of executives — general manager Joe Schoen, assistant general manager Brandon Brown, director of player personnel Tim McDonnell, and special assistant Jessie Armstead — to Boulder for practices and the game this week to get looks at Sanders with quarterback Daniel Jones already gone. In our latest look at the most-updated draft order (if the season were to end today), the Giants slotted in at No. 2 overall, tied with the Jaguars and Raiders with a 2-9 record. Since then, the Giants and Raiders have both lost additional contests, moving them up to Nos. 1 & 2, respectively, but if the Jaguars also fall tomorrow, they would be reinstated at No. 1.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/8/19

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

  • Signed: WR Joe Walker
  • Waived/injured: DB Josh Simmons

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: CB Trevon Mathis
  • Waived/injured: RB Ralph Webb

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: OL Salesi Uhatafe
  • Placed on injured reserve: S D’Cota Dixon

Bears Sign 22 UDFAs

The Bears have quite a big UDFA class. Chicago announced that they have signed the following 22 undrafted free agents:

  • Alex Bars, OL (Notre Dame) ($35K of his base salary guaranteed, $5K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter)
  • Sam Mustipher, OL (Notre Dame)
  • Daryle Banfield, DL (Brown)
  • John Baron II, K (San Diego State)
  • Matt Betts, LB (Laval)
  • Blake Blackmar, OL (Baylor)
  • Ian Bunting, TE (California)
  • Jomon Dotson, DB (Nevada)
  • Clifton Duck, DB (Appalachian State)
  • Emanuel Hall, WR (Missouri)
  • Jonathan Harris, DL (Lindenwood)
  • Chuck Harris, LB (Buffalo)
  • Thomas Ives, WR (Colgate)
  • Doyin Jibowu, DB (Fort Hays State)
  • Joe Lowery, OL (Ohio)
  • Lawrence Marshall, DE (Michigan)
  • Adarius Pickett, DB (UCLA)
  • Dax Raymond, TE (Utah State) ($30K of his base salary guaranteed with a $15K signing bonus, per Wilson on Twitter)
  • Ellis Richardson, TE (Georgia Southern)
  • Josh Simmons, DB (Limestone)
  • Marquez Tucker, OL (Southern Utah)
  • John Wirtel, LS (Kansas)

The Bears opted for a lot of small school players, adding guys from places like Limestone, Colgate, Fort Hays State, Lindenwood, and Laval. The signings of Bars and Mustipher are notable because they have a connection to the coaching staff. Both players were coached by current Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand when they were at Notre Dame. The Bears hired Hiestand away from Notre Dame before last season, and he knows what he’s getting in these two players.

It’s also notable that the Bears signed a kicker, because the job will be up for grabs in training camp. Chicago is looking to replace Cody Parkey after his disastrous 2018 season, and they need someone consistent. Baron was a solid college kicker at SDSU with a big leg, as his career long was 54 yards, which is pretty impressive for a college kicker. The Bears already have former AAF kicker Elliott Fry and former Tulsa kicker Redford Jones on the roster, so they’re clearly planning on having a battle royale kicking competition this offseason.