The Ohio State Buckeyes have lost one of their top players to the NFL Draft.
Ohio State star left tackle Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier this season during a game against the Oregon Ducks. The injury led some to believe that he could choose to return to Ohio State next season and further bolster his draft stock, but that will not be the case.
On Wednesday morning, NFL insider Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Simmons has declared for the NFL Draft.
“Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons has declared for the NFL draft. Simmons had season-ending knee surgery after the Oregon game, but his new agent Drew Rosenhaus said surgery went well and he’s already ahead of schedule with his rehab,” Schefter said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
Rosenhaus told Schefter that he believes Simons will be a “high first-round pick” in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Josh will be fully cleared for practice by the start of NFL training camp and he will be a high first-round pick,” said Rosenhaus, who will represent Simmons along with Robert Bailey and Oliver Chell.
Simmons began his college career at San Diego State before transferring to Ohio State ahead of the 2023 season, where he immediately earned the team’s starting left tackle spot.
Before his injury, Simmons had emerged as one of the top offensive linemen in the country and was in the midst of a dominant season with the Buckeyes.
Without Simmons, Ohio State has struggled immensely. The team had to reshuffle their offensive line and play certain players out of position, which contributed to the team’s fourth consecutive loss to the Michigan Wolverines this weekend.
We’ll have to see where he will ultimately be selected in the NFL Draft.
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