Heading into the NFL Draft, the Ohio State football team was only expected to have Josh Simmons as a first-round pick. He was seen by many draft analysts as the best tackle in the draft. He was a first-round pick, but he had to wait the entire first round for his name to be called.
Simmons was the final first-round pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs. That means he gets to block for Patrick Mahomes, and he becomes the best offensive lineman that the Chiefs have, as they get a top-ten talent with the final pick in the first round.
The only reason why Simmons slid this far is because of the knee injury he suffered midway through the season against Oregon. That injury ended his season, but the Ohio State Buckeyes still won the national championship without him, which was a testament to how good that team was.
Ohio State football player Josh Simmons will now block for Patrick Mahomes
After transferring in from San Diego State, Simmons only allowed one sack in two years blocking for the Buckeyes. He really developed into a solid player this past season, even though his year was cut short. The Buckeyes really loved what he was becoming before the injury.
Simmons has all of the physical traits that make for a good tackle. He just needs to be healthy in order to be an immediate impact guy for the Chiefs on the offensive line next year. Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL, so getting protection for him was an absolute must.
Ohio State was only expected to get one first-round pick. Instead, the defending national champs had four. That just shows how much NFL teams valued what the Buckeyes did last year during the greatest four-game run in the history of college football.