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Tennessee defensive tackle Elijah Simmons is headed to Indianapolis. The former defensive lineman received and accepted an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this week, a major win for his NFL Draft hopes.
Blessed
pic.twitter.com/86zD88uxGL
— Elijah simmons (@901_hollywood_e) January 28, 2025
Simmons largely wasn’t viewed as a strong candidate to get selected in this spring’s NFL Draft after his six-year college career, but getting the invite to the NFL Combine is a major boost to his draft hopes. Simmons, who has incredible strength in the middle of the defensive line, will likely impress in a number of the tests.
The 6-foot-2, 340-pound defensive tackle had a real role on Tennessee’s defensive line in each of his final five college seasons. He started just seven games during his college career but played 840 total snaps during his college career.
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As a senior in 2024, Simmons recorded 12 tackles and totaled one quarterback pressure. His best season, however, came in 2023 when he totaled 19 tackles, 10 quarterback pressures, 0.5 sacks and one pass deflection.
Over the course of his entire college career, Simmons totaled 59 tackles, 13 quarterback pressures and a pass breakup.
The NFL Scouting combine begins on Thursday, Feb. 27 and runs through Sunday, March 2. Simmons is the first Tennessee player to announce that he’ll participate in the NFL Draft combine but almost certainly will not be the last.
A number of Tennessee players could be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft including James Pearce Jr, Dylan Sampson, Omarr Norman-Lott, Dont’e Thornton and Cooper Mays.