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Kendall Simmons
SELECTED BY DETROIT , ROUND 1, PICK 30, OVERALL PICK 30
OG | (6-2, 311, 5.3) | Auburn
By Pro Football WeeklyNotes: Lettered in football, baseball and basketball in high school. Has played tackle and guard at Auburn. Saw action in 11-of-13 games in 1997 and started three times as a true freshman. Was slowed by ankle and knee injuries in '98 but still started five times at split guard. Started the first three games at guard in '99 but then redshirted because of injury problems. Had surgery on both ankles and missed the rest of the '99 season and the spring of 2000. Came back in the fall, moved to offensive tackle and started every game. Was the team's best offensive lineman and a coaches' second-team All-Southeastern Conference pick. All-SEC left tackle in '01, when he started every game, played every snap at left tackle and won the Jacobs Award as the SEC's best offensive lineman.Positives: Played like a true All-American in '01 and was one of the top three offensive tackles in the country (along with Texas' Mike Williams and Miami's Bryant McKinnie). A widebody with a good bubble butt and good strength and explosion. Can bend his knees and roll his hips. Athletic and light on his feet. Has good lateral movement and feet. May not run well for distance, but he is quick and mobile in a limited area. Very hard worker and a team player. Tenacious, bulldog type. Works to finish his blocks. Graded out very well in the films I looked at in '01. Held his own against Syracuse's Dwight Freeney and North Carolina's Julius Peppers, who were two of the great speedy, athletic rushers in the college game.Negatives: Lacks the type of height and wingspan you look for at tackle. You just don't see under 6-3 tackles with 31-inch-long arms in the NFL anymore. May not have the speed to be effective on the long pull. At times has trouble with inside counter moves and speed off the edge. Gets beaten by top pass rushers when he does not bend his knees and keep his feet moving.Summary: A better college football player than Victor Riley was and has almost as much pro potential. Should be a starting NFL guard and a very good one, but his size practically precludes him from playing offensive tackle on the next level.* Player biographies are provided by Pro Football Weekly.
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