Redskins: Scouting supplemental draft prospect WR Marcus Simms

Simms’ strengths

Simms has great athletic traits, so you know he won me over pretty quick.

Simms had a private workout in the lead-up to the supplemental draft, to which around sixteen NFL teams showed up. Per The Draft Analyst’s Tony Pauline, the Redskins were one of those sixteen teams represented. Pauline also said that Simms “spent time” with all teams in attendance, implying that there were interviews.

In his workout, Simms logged a fastest 40-yard dash time of 4.40 seconds. He also put on the record a 36-inch vertical, a broad jump of 122.5 inches, a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.19 seconds (Despite a slip during the drill, as Pauline noted), and a three-cone time of 6.91. Those numbers quantify an explosive athlete with good bend and short-area agility. It’s a truth that’s only quantified further by Simms’ collegiate stats, as he averaged 16.7 yards per catch at West Virginia, and caught seventy-four percent of balls thrown his way.

In short, he gets opes.

That success rate, combined with the type of targets Simms was receiving, is promising, and it’s just one of many things that The Draft Network analyst and wide receiver specialist Brad Kelly noted in a recent article on Simms. Kelly also lauded Simms’ burst, ball tracking skills, shiftiness as a runner after the catch, and his history as a returner. Kelly felt obligated to give an NFL comparison for Simms. His choice? Current Dolphins big play threat Kenny Stills.

With the sheer speed and burst to get open downfield, and the athletic traits and balance to be a dangerous runner with the football in his hands, Simms has very intriguing traits as a receiver who could not only stretch the field for the Redskins, but also go the distance with dump-offs and wide receiver screens. When the Redskins last had a reliable deep threat, both of those plays were staples of their offense. Perhaps Simms could bring it back.