Clemson Football: All Eyes will be on Isaiah Simmons

Clemson football linebacker Isaiah Simmons will workout on Saturday, and he could challenge a few NFL Combine records.

Isaiah Simmons has already been measured at 6-foot-3 5/8, 238 pounds, with a wing span of 81 7/8 inches, but the bulk of his NFL job interview will occur on Saturday night.

Of his measurements the only surprise is his weight which is eight pounds above his season number of 230.

His forty yard dash time was going to be among the most anticipated along with Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs, who blazed 4.27 on Thursday night, anyway, but at 238 pounds, teams are likely more interested in his time.

At 6-foot-1, 227 pounds, Seattle Seahawk Shaquem Griffin holds the linebacker Combine 40-yard dash record time of 4.38. Dontay Moch also 6-foot-1, but heavier at 248, is second with a time of 4.41.

Simmons could run between 4.38 and 4.4, because he is fast enough to go stride-for-stride with speedy Clemson running back Travis Etienne. In 2016, Etienne won the New Orleans Nike Opening regional “Fastest Man” five-man race with a time of 4.38. Combine running back participants Florida State Cam Akers (4.44) and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (4.47) were also in that race. Akers and Helaire raced to times of 4.47 and 4.61, respectively on Friday.

A two-time prep state long jump champion, Simmons is expected to perform well in the broad jump and the vertical jump. He has leaped 11 feet (132 inches) in the broad and has a vertical in the neighborhood of 40 inches.

The Combine record for the broad jump is 11 feet 7 inches (2013) by New England Patriot Jamie Collins, and Tennessee Titan Cameron Wake has the vertical leap best of 45.5 (2005).

"“If I had to describe his athleticism “fluid & explosive” are the best terms I could use,” said Joseph Potts, owner of Top Speed LLC in Overland, KS, when asked about the college football unanimous All-American. “He’s smooth in practically any activity you ask him to perform. I realize that’s not the fun buzzword a lot of people expect but ‘fluidity’ is a very underrated athletic quality and typically guys with that type of athleticism have long and productive NFL careers.”"

Potts has a little insight into Simmons’ abilities, because he worked with him this summer. “So this happened today; Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons broke the previous gym record with this 11’10” max jump today,” he said in a tweet after watching Simmons’ vertical leap. “To provide some context that would’ve been the #1 leap @ the 2018 NBA Combine for a player under 6’4″ (the avg height of players who went 11’10” + was 6’9″).”

Based on his observations, Simmons should be among the best on Saturday.

“I expect him be one of the top performers in all of the athletic metrics they test, and I expect him to look very fluid in all the drills.”