In my humble opinion if the Broncos are picking in the top 12 this year, which it looks like they will be, they need to select Isaiah Simmons. I get a ton of Broncos fans want more receiving threats but I believe you can still snag that in round two of the draft. Good friend and trusted draft aficionado Walker Kelly @WalkerKelly13 on Twitter tells me Brandon Aiyuk might just be that guy on day two.
If I were John Elway I would pursue Simmons. Imagine a Simmons Simmons backfield. Both have similar skill sets but Isaiah seems to be much more of a down hill player to me, similar to a Derwin James. He posted 6 sacks at Clemson this year. Adding a safety who could pressure the QB would truly take Denver’s defense to a whole new level.
Simmons is multi-faceted. He could play interior linebacker or safety. In a Vic Fangio system that could really help out.
Simmons in 2018 posted 83 tackles jumping up to 98 in 2019. Though he doesn’t force many turnovers, only 3 in 2019, the stats and a basic look at his highlights would say he knows how to play near the line of scrimmage and get to the QB. I’m not a huge size guy but Simmons certainly has the size to be an NFL safety. Coming in at 6’4 and 230 pounds.
Simmons ran track and field during his high school years. This certainly shows on the field Simmons just looks fast getting to the ball carrier. It isn’t a hot take to say he is the best safety in the class. The Broncos should look to re up on defense. Especially if they lose Chris Harris Jr. to Free Agency. I have seen enough from Drew Lock to say he can develop into a quality starting QB.
You need to build a strong team around him though. He may never be the kind of guy that can carry a franchise. If the defense were to gain a second and more dynamic safety like Simmons the secondary would be massively better for it.