Colin Simmons ranked highest SEC athlete on Mel Kiper’s 2027 NFL draft Big Board
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
The NFL season is still going on but it’s never too early to look ahead to the draft. ESPN’s Mel Kiper unveiled his latest 2027 NFL Draft board and a Texas player is at the top of the list for SEC athletes.
Edge Colin Simmons is ranked No. 5 by Kiper. The 6-foot-3, 246-pound Simmons has tallied 17 total tackles, 9.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Simmons had a monster performance vs. Tennessee, racking up 5.5 sacks.
Kiper raves about the athletic ability and strength of the Dallas native.
“Simmons is explosive out of the blocks with natural bend, and he can beat opponents with outside or inside moves,” Kiper said. “And he isn’t given enough credit for the power element in his game.”
Simmons has amassed 30.5 sacks, 40.5 tackles for loss and eight forced fumbles during his three seasons as a Longhorn. He was also named to the midseason watch list for the Lombardi Award, which goes to an outstanding lineman who “best epitomize his values of leadership, courage, performance, and discipline on and off the field.”
Simmons arrived at Texas as the No. 4 edge in the nation and No. 28 overall prospect in the Class of 2024. Simmons and Texas will aim to bounce back from the loss to Oklahoma when they face visiting Florida on Oct. 17 (12 p.m. ET/ABC).
