Redskins: Scouting supplemental draft prospect WR Marcus Simms

Simms’ weaknesses

Of course, no draft prospect is going to be perfect, and that goes double for a supplemental draft prospect. It’s best to start with the circumstances surrounding Simms’ inclusion in the draft. He sat out West Virginia’s bowl game in his junior season, and during the spring, he was absent for practices, dealing with injuries and an undisclosed personal matter.

After being pegged with a violation of West Virginia’s student code of conduct, Simms entered the transfer portal, intending to play somewhere else for his senior season. Those plans soon fell through, however, and Simms instead entered the 2019 supplemental draft.

The question marks off the field aren’t as prevalent with Simms as they would be for other supplemental draft prospects, but they are notable, nonetheless. And those question marks aren’t relegated to off-the-field matters, either. On the field, Simms is a slight 5-foot-11, 188 pounds, leading to concerns surrounding his injury prone-ness at the next level. He’s also a less-than-stellar blocker, and while he has the ability to learn more route concepts, he’s fairly raw in that department.

An investment in Simms in the supplemental draft is an investment in his future. The young player has the traits necessary to find a role in the NFL. But as of now, there are a few things that could hold him back, from his off-the-field track record, to his injury history, to his slight frame, and to his relatively simplistic route tree.