The Kansas City Chiefs invested plenty of draft picks and free agent money in offensive tackles over the past two years. They shouldn’t stop. Left tackle Jawaan Taylor saw his level of play drop significantly after arriving in Kansas City, and young draft picks Wanya Morris and Kingsley Suamataia aren’t yet starting-caliber linemen.
Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid make the situation work because they’re generational geniuses, but Kansas City can’t rely on that duo to cover for sub-par offensive tackle play forever. The Chiefs should invest more draft picks into developing their offensive line.
Ohio State Buckeyes lineman Josh Simmons started at both left and right tackle in recent years. He is unofficially listed at 6 foot 5 inches tall and 310 pounds and has arms that surpass the league’s thresholds to play offensive tackle. Simmons needs to refine his kick step and slide, but he flashes the explosiveness to handle speedsters and wide-alignment rushers.
Simmons’ lower half has room to fill out, but his upper body pops on tape. He delivers powerful blows in pass protection that stun pass rushers. Simmons’ hands pack the knockback to stall the defender’s rush plan, and his strong arm extensions lock defenders out of his frame.
Defenders struggle to play through Simmons’ frame in the run game. Simmons must play with better balance as a run blocker to sustain his assignments for longer. He stops his feet and lunges sometimes and allows his chest to drift over his feet. Simmons needs to clean up these flaws before entering the NFL.
Ohio State opens its Big Ten conference schedule on Saturday, Sept. 28 against Michigan State at 6:30 p.m CST.
