Once upon a time, star Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons was supposed to be the next great hope for the Carolina Panthers’ defense.
Much like this year’s speculation and near-certainty that the Panthers would pick Jalon Walker at No. 8 overall, practically everybody was expecting that Carolina would take Simmons with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
Instead, former general manager Marty Hurney threw a curveball – electing to pick Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown instead at that spot. Simmons went to the Arizona Cardinals with the next pick.
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons walks off the field after their 25-24 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers at State Farm Stadium in Los Angeles on Nov. 27, 2022. Nfl Arizona Cardinals Vs Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Chargers At Arizona Cardinals | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
That turned out to be one of the better decisions that Hurney made during his second run as GM, as Brown has grown into a bonafide superstar for the Panthers, while Simmons has had a rough go of it at the NFL level.
Simmons showed occasional flashes of what made him an enticing draft prospect at Arizona, but he never really lived up to his full potential. So, after 50 games in three seasons the Cardinals traded him to the New York Giants for just a seventh-round pick.
After two years with the Giants he put in a brief stint on the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad, but Simmons was released in August, and the Panthers signed him earlier this week.
Simmons obviously won’t be quarterbacking Carolina’s defense the way he might have five years ago. Head coach Dave Canales shed more light on his role yesterday, telling reporters that he’ll be filling in on special teams.
Dave Canales said they expect to activate Isaiah Simmons to help on special teams this week.
— Darin Gantt (@daringantt) November 28, 2025
That’s a pretty long fall from grace for a top-10 overall draft pick.
What exactly Simmons will be doing on special teams remains to be seen, but from the context we can probably assume that he’ll be taking over the role that normally would go to Claudin Cherelus, who’s been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Rams.
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