NFL Draft
4/15/25
5 min read
Cody Simon 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Ohio State Buckeyes Linebacker
Height: 6017 (verified)
Weight: 229lbs (verified)
Year: Redshirt Senior
Pro Comparison: Keishawn Bierria
Scouting Overview
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Cody Simon projects as a developmental talent at the NFL level. Simon offers appeal and opportunities to compete early on as a special teamer while also illustrating flashes as a run defender and coverage option at linebacker.
With the right coaching and the right talent around him, he could become a three-down starter. Simon lacks foolproof traits, however, and his margin for error is somewhat limited by his lack of reach and wingspan to influence in all phases of the position. He can become more polished as a processor to help compensate and give him a chance to earn defensive reps.
2025 NFL Combine Results
DNP
Positives
- Plays the game with a good effort and willingness to play in traffic to sift to the football
- Showcases sufficient level of mobility in space to execute zone drops and effectively cover underneath
- Has physicality on route stems to disrupt timing
Negatives
- Missing elite explosiveness that could help him play with a higher level of impact as a space defender
- Lacks reach to punch and extend to separate from blocks and uncover for tackle challenges
- Is missing the reach to play through the body of receivers at the catch point
Background
Simon is from Jersey City, NJ, and played high school football for St. Peter’s Prep. There, he was a highly coveted recruit at linebacker and ranked as one of the best recruits from the state.
As a 4-star recruit (247 Sports), Simon committed to Ohio State as a member of the school’s 2020 recruiting class before logging special teams opportunities as a true freshman. Simon assumed a much bigger role on defense as a second-year freshman in 2021, posting nearly 450 snaps on defense.
Simon would go on to play in 59 games for the Buckeyes (30 starts), culminating in being named a team captain in 2024. Simon was awarded the “Bill Willis Block ‘O’ Jersey” for leadership, toughness, accountability, and character — a testament to how he approached his contributions to the program.
Simon was named First Team All-Big Ten for his play in 2024 and makes the transition to the pros with his best football at the top of his resume.
Tale Of The Tape
Simon is a sufficient-level athlete with good toughness and effort. He showcases the requisite amounts of pursuit range and mobility in space to be a zone-defense executor underneath, but if given the opportunity to be a featured player on the second level, he will have his fair share of struggles plugging the line of scrimmage or playing sideline to sideline.
This isn’t a player who will shine for his ability to win the rep immediately at the snap right now, but the upward mobility he could piece together if he takes another step with his play diagnosis leaves room for him to become an NFL starter.
As is, Simon is a better pursuit player and space defender than he is a gap shooter or anticipator. Without the extra half-step to his advantage, some of his physical shortcomings loom as a threat to him finding the same success and production at the pro level as what he did at Ohio State.
Simon is smaller in size and lacks arm length and wingspan. Both yield a smaller margin for error in execution. Simons’ ability to punch and separate from blocks to uncover in the box is modest, although he does showcase the ability to run under a block on second-level climbs and can work back into a position to make the play in that regard.
Still, the take-on ability is modest. And as a tackler, he needs to be properly fit for wrap-up tackles against bigger ball carriers. Simon boasts a career missed tackle rate of just under 11 percent — a respectable number.
As a pass defender, Simon has the mobility and range to execute in zone drops but misses the ideal area of influence to alter second-level throws, leaving him in need of seeing and feeling routes developing to anticipate and run the peak of the route to make a play on the football.
Simon has had minimal ball production across his five-year career at Ohio State, with one interception in 2021. He should be considered a modest man-to-man coverage option, although he does play physically when attached to bodies in coverage.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Simon projects best as a developmental depth player. He lacks the ideal burst and range to play the WILL and is missing some of the rapid diagnosis ability that would allow him to pop at MIKE.
He’s a tough, capable player with limitations but should be regarded an asset for his teams ability and sufficient stack skills long-term.
Grade: 69.00/100.00, Sixth Round Value
Big Board Rank: 237
Position Rank: LB21
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