Chicago Bears Draft Prospect Target: Josh Simmons

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Sunday, February 16 2025

They say that defense wins Championships, which is true, but controlling the line of scrimmage in the trenches is also true. Just look at what the Philadelphia Eagles did to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Not only did they have the best defense throughout the season, but they also had the best offensive line.

Both were on full display in the season's biggest game as Philadelphia dominated the line of scrimmage from start to finish. Speaking of someone who knows what it's about to dominate the line of scrimmage, Head Coach Ben Johnson comes from the Detroit Lions who were known for having some of the best offensive line groups the past few seasons.

Despite falling short of their goal this past season, the success this team has had the past few seasons can't be ignored, and the Lions offensive line deserves a ton of credit for that. Johnson knows that the Bears have talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball, but reaching that talent will come down to the protection up front.

Chicago hasn't had much of that in recent seasons, and coming off a year where their franchise Quarterback was sacked an NFL-high 68 times, protection is still an issue for this team. That is the main focus for Johnson as we head into the offseason. He appointed Dan Roushar to coach the offensive line and must now work on putting together players for him to coach.

Expect Chicago to be very active in the free agent market, with Trey Smith coming to mind as a potential offensive line target. You also have a loaded rookie class this season, and with the 10th overall pick, it wouldn't shock anyone to see the Bears take another offensive lineman in round one to help anchor the line for the future.

Whether that guy is Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas) or Will Campbell (LSU), the Bears are going to have plenty of options to choose from, including Josh Simmons from Ohio State. The 6-5 310-pound tackle is coming off a National Championship with the Buckeyes and could be seen as one of the anchors of the offensive line for years to come.

A bit smaller than most tackles in this year's class, Simmons makes up for that with his athletic ability, as he is one of the more athletic tackles in this year's draft. He also offers plenty of versatility and has started at the left and right tackle positions in college. Known for being very physical inside the tackle box, Simmons has no issues getting to the outside and has shown the speed and quickness to contend with NFL defenders.

With controlling the trenches being a massive part of the Bears offseason plans, Simmons may have to put on a few pounds at the next level as he is more of a positional type of tackle than the physical one right now. However, given his overall athletic ability, Simmons is one of those guys who can fit into any scheme, and that is huge when it comes to adjusting to the NFL game.

Simmons's biggest concern is his ability to get on the field next season, as he suffered a season-ending knee injury this past October. Given how medically advanced we are today, there is little doubt that he will be ready to go at some point this season, but that becomes a matter of when.

In the meantime, Simmons can do the little things needed to improve, including adding some upper body strength to his relatively lean frame. Pair that with the athletic explosiveness he already has, and it should lead to more pop off the snap, allowing him to play more physically at the line.

Although he is athletic enough to hold his own at the next level, Simmons is still vulnerable against physical pass rushers as they tend to push him back into the QB. He has also been exposed against finesse-style pass rushers as he tends to overplay his defenders too much instead of letting his athletic nature do the work for him.

Despite missing half this past season with a knee injury, Simmons is still an extremely talented first-round-level prospect who has improved each season. He is one of the more athletic linemen in this year's class, and his overall talent potential can't be ignored should the Bears like him at No. 10.