Could Cardinals Benefit From Do-It-All Isaiah Simmons?

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"The game has changed and specifically that position (of inside linebacker)," Cardinals GM Steve Keim said. "The days of the two-down linebacker don't exist. Those guys almost have to be mirror images of each other."


No one would say Simmons would mirror the guy who he would be playing with, Jordan Hicks. But that was the beauty of Washington, who combined with an at-his-peak Karlos Dansby in 2013 to provide an impactful three-down inside linebacking crew for the Cardinals.


Simmons and Hicks together could also play all three downs, and Simmons' abilities would make it easy to transition between a base and nickel look defensively.


"Whether you want to list him as a linebacker or safety, I know you plug him into (a) defensive scheme and week by week you can deploy him in different ways depending on what the strength of your opponent is," NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. "That's why he has so much value. And putting these guys in little position boxes, I think that's going to go away eventually. You're just going to see getting your athletes on the field and deploying them in different ways on a week-by-week basis."


Simmons shied away from making any one player comp in the NFL. The way he played in college makes it hard. He said he models his game after Von Miller with his edge rushing, Jalen Ramsey with coverage technique, and Tyrann Mathieu with the way the Honey Badger is used all over the back seven (or, with the Cardinals, back eight) of the defense.


The idea the Cardinals might be able to bring in a bigger Mathieu-type player would be intriguing.


"The hardest part about (moving around) is just the mental aspect, having to know what everybody else has to do," Simmons said. "That was the most complicated thing I had to deal with. But I learn everything very fast and I feel like that's what really benefitted me and helped me play at a high level."


Having proven himself mentally capable in college would be another check in Simmons' favor.


"When you look at the big picture and say, 'These are the things you have to do athletically, and here are the things he has to do mentally,' which is process, read, instincts, it's sometimes hard to find the full package," Keim said. "Where I have made my mistakes, where we have made our mistakes, is getting enamored with the physical tools and the ability to do it, but not have the mental capability to do it."


There is risk involved to get a player who doesn't have a defined position. Learning the NFL game is hard enough with just one spot. But Simmons might be a unicorn in this scenario.


"Mentally I feel like there isn't anything I can't do," Simmons said. "I played every position except for a nose or 3-technique. When it comes down to it, I'm going to try with my best ability to do everything I can."

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