Cincinnati continues with the pre draft meetings
As the 2025 NFL Draft approaches, the Cincinnati Bengals continue with hosting guys they believe they could draft at the end of April.
The Bengals have hosted numerous different players at different positions and most recently brought in Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons, according to Malik Wright.
Simmons is coming off tearing his ACL last season but has tremendous upside once he fully recovers from the injury.
Despite only playing in six games in 2024 he was still named honorable mention all-Big Ten Conference by the league’s coaches.
Prior to his injury, Simmons started 31 consecutive games, 19 starts at left tackle and 13 at right tackle, including the 2022 season at San Diego State.
NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein is high on Simmons.
“An athletic tackle prospect with adequate size and length, Simmons has experience starting on both sides. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in mid-October, so his recovery and timetable for return will need to be vetted. He’s a consistently fluid mover both inside the box and when asked to play in space, and he has the slide quickness to compete against NFL edge speed. He’s more positional than powerful in completing his run-blocking tasks, but he can fit into all schemes. Improved hand placement and latch-in strength can help better control opponents in both the run and pass games. Simmons can still be susceptible to twists and counters in pass pro, so he might need a year to continue honing his craft in that area before he is ready to take on NFL pocket hunters.”
Simmons is still projected to be a first-round selection, according to Zierlein, despite the knee injury.
Could the Bengals look to draft Simmons at 17 and move him to guard? We will see.
Josh Simmons has a polished game. Highest pass-block efficiency in the class per PFF pic.twitter.com/mX1SZVgAq7
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) April 10, 2025