NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Chris Simms has a bizarre take on one of the top 2023 NFL Draft prospects

By Sayre Bedinger

2023 NFL mock draft; Will Anderson Jr. #31 of the Alabama Crimson Tide stands on the field during the Allstate Sugar Bowl against the Kansas State Wildcats at Caesars Superdome on December 31, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Alabama Crimson Tide won the game 45 - 20. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
2023 NFL mock draft; Will Anderson Jr. #31 of the Alabama Crimson Tide stands on the field during the Allstate Sugar Bowl against the Kansas State Wildcats at Caesars Superdome on December 31, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Alabama Crimson Tide won the game 45 - 20. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The NFL Draft is always a crapshoot, so it’s hard to say that the opinions people have formed about prospects for an incoming class are just flat-out wrong. With that being said, former NFL QB Chris Simms is known for controversial NFL Draft takes and rankings, and he’s back at it again this year with a highly contested take on Alabama EDGE Will Anderson Jr., considered arguably the top non-QB prospect in the entire 2023 NFL Draft class by many people.

Simms doesn’t have Anderson ranked atop his group of EDGE players in this class. He doesn’t even have him in his top three. He’s got him ranked fifth overall at his position. We’re not talking about Simms having Will Anderson Jr. ranked 5th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft class overall but at his position group. Behind the likes of:

  • Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech
  • Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
  • Nolan Smith, Georgia
  • Will McDonald IV, Iowa State

Bringing up the rear of Simms’ top five EDGE prospects is Will Anderson Jr., the guy who was absolutely dominant the last couple of years on one of college football’s best defensive units.

Chris Simms has a bizarre take on top 2023 NFL Draft prospect Will Anderson Jr.

Listen to how Simms defended his ranking here:

This is a scorching hot take from Simms, but you can’t help but wonder what he’s seeing. It’s hard to hear him say so many definitive things about Anderson and his game being differentiated from these other guys in such a matter-of-fact way, because Anderson has seemingly done everything right on and off the field to get to where he is, which is likely becoming a top-five NFL Draft pick in the near future.

He racked up 34.5 sacks and 58.5 tackles for loss in three seasons at Alabama. He had 204 total tackles.

It should be noted that not every NFL Draft analyst agrees with Simms’ opinion here, clearly. Again, most people have Anderson ranked in their top five players, there hasn’t even been a conversation about whether he’s a top five EDGE in this year’s class. The conversation has been about whether or not he’s the best non-QB available to teams that may not need one.

In fact, before Simms’ comments were revealed to the public, it was being discussed whether it was a better idea for the Cardinals to trade or keep their pick so they could take this guy. Perhaps Simms will end up being right about this, though. Predicting the NFL Draft and predicting players’ careers is very much an inexact science.

Even though most people think Anderson is going to be one thing, it’s not the end of the world for Simms to have a different opinion. The issue to take is that you can be critical of a guy’s game and you can say what you want about his projection to the NFL without being so harsh. Simms is saying he would bet “big money” that Anderson doesn’t go before any of the aforementioned players he has ranked ahead of them.

He’s saying that watching film makes it “obvious” he’s not as good as the other players above him. There are certainly more professional ways to discuss a young player with a bright future in the league, especially when your take is this hot to the touch.

Home/NFL Draft