Green Bay, Wisconsin (AP) – The Green Bay Isaiah Simmons Packers wonders if his ability to play several positions may have worked against him at previous stops.
After trying to fill out several roles during his first five seasons, the overall choice n ° 8 of the 2020 draft hopes that he found a house with his New team.
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“I think it’s probably where I was most appreciated,” said Simmons on Thursday. “Not that I have not been appreciated in other places, but I have the impression of having been classified in many other places and putting a box that does not define me. Here, they let me be myself flourishing, letting me grow in one place before growing in a pile of other places.”
Simmons, 27, alternated Between the second and defensive back without really prospering one or the other place. After having played mainly the assistant with the Cardinals of Arizona his first three seasons, Simmons has spent more time in high school in the past two years with the Giants from New York.
Now, he is back with the secondary and highlights athletics that made the former Clemson star a very praised perspective. Packers think that he can benefit from sticking to a position.
“The speed with which he can pick up everything and how much he can decrease everything will determine what we can really do with him, but I think he has a very good start,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
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Simmons likes the opportunity to focus on reading the secondary.
“My versatility was in a way, not like a fall, but a kind of fall because everyone expects that I am 15 in 15 positions,” said Simmons. “This league is difficult to dominate in a position.”
Simmons also had to face the meticulous exam to be a choice of global recovery among the first 10.
Although Simmons was one of the six defensive players in the League to appear in the 84 regular season games in the past five years, its playing time has recently dropped.
He was on the ground for only a third of the defensive shots of the Giants in 2023 and only 17% of them last year.
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“Everyone means what he means,” said Simmons. “In the different positions I have played, some people think that I am not difficult. Some people think I don’t want to be physical. Some people say I can’t cover. Everyone has something to say, but I really don’t care what no one has to say. In the end, I know who I am. “
His new teammates and coaches say good things about how he played in the secondary in the camp.
“He is sort of unicorn in this position,” said Josh Jacobs. “He can run. We can put him on the guys in the slit. He can cover the guys.”
Simmons 6 -foot 4 inch and 238 pounds described how he has a unique set of skills that can help him succeed as seconds.
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“My length, it allows me to go to people before I can reach me,” he said. “It helps a lot to play on the line, to define edges and anything. I also have the speed of a database or a receiver or everything you mean. I feel like you are a little bit orthodox in the position (second), and that allows me to win in various ways.”
All-pro Safety Xavier McKinney played alongside Simmons with the Giants in 2023.
“He played games all over the field, and obviously, he can play everywhere on the field,” said McKinney. “He can play Backer, he can play in the box, he can cover the guys, so he will be a huge asset for our team and for our defense.”
Simmons said he was at the start of the free agency process when McKinney advised Green Bay could be an ideal adjustment.
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“In fact, the first thing I said during my visit here was:” Dang, it gives me a feeling of Clemson “, said Simmons. “As small of a city as it is, I really think that more eyes are on you because everyone knows who you are and so on.”
Note: Packers coach Matt Lafleur said that RB Marshawn Lloyd’s groin injury would not be a long -term agreement “, but added that the choice of third round of 2024 will probably not return this week.
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