NFL Draft Rumors: “There is a ton of buzz around Jeffery Simmons to the Eagles or Colts”

The 2019 NFL Draft is merely days away so it’s that time of year where the rumors are really starting to heat up. Draft buzz should always be taken with a grain of salt but it’s still fun to discuss hypothetical situations.

The latest draft rumor involving the Philadelphia Eagles comes from Bleacher Report’s Connor Rogers:

The mention of both the Eagles and Colts is interesting because Brian Baldinger previously said he believes they’re very interested in selecting the same player. And it sounded like Baldy may have been referring to an interior defensive line prospect. Is Simmons that guy?

Potentially adding more fuel to the fire is that ESPN’s Todd McShay has the Eagles taking Simmons at No. 25 overall in his latest mock draft. My thoughts on that possibility:

Simmons would be a pretty ballsy pick for the Eagles. He’s very talented but he’s also recovering from an ACL injury. Not to mention there are questions about his character due an incident in his past. While I like the idea of the Eagles landing a player with Simmons’ upside, I’m not crazy about taking injured players. History has shown that the “medical redshirt” pick often doesn’t work out so great in the NFL. The Eagles have experienced this disappointment firsthand with Sidney Jones to this point in his career.

Another issue with taking Simmons is that the Eagles would still need to find immediate impact at defensive tackle elsewhere. A player’s long-term outlook matters more than their short-term outlook when it comes to the draft but there’s still some value in the latter, especially for a team like the Eagles that’s trying hard to compete in 2019. I think the Eagles want to walk away with someone they can count on to contribute this season.

I think Simmons is worth the risk for some team at some point in this year’s draft. I don’t think that he’s the right fit for the Eagles at No. 25 overall. Neither do a majority of fans here at Bleeding Green Nation:

Perhaps the Eagles feel Simmons’ talent is worth the risk. We already saw how they were willing to be patient with Jones back in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Or perhaps the Eagles want people to believe they’re interested in Simmons so another team jumps ahead of them to get him. Philly could be hoping another team picks Simmons so that one of their true targets has a better chance of falling to No. 25. A classic #smokescreen, if you will.