49ers’ potential draft target Simmons comes with injury concern

49ers’ potential draft target Simmons comes with injury concern originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

INDIANAPOLIS — Ohio State’s Josh Simmons might be the best offensive tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft.

But he comes with a significant injury concern.

Simmons underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his left knee from an injury sustained in an Oct. 12 loss at Oregon, he confirmed on Saturday.

Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the surgery. Simmons said he is making good progress in his rehabilitation.

“(I’m) really way ahead of schedule, will be cut loose in mid-April to give everybody a good pro day,” Simmons said at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The 49ers were among the interested teams to meet with Simmons at the combine, he said. The 49ers own the No. 11 overall pick in the draft, and Simmons is in play to be selected in that spot.

Among the teams Simmons said he also had formal meetings with were New England (No. 4 overall), Chicago (No. 10) and Dallas (No. 12).

Eleven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams will be back for the 2025 season, 49ers general manager John Lynch said this week. Colton McKivitz tops the depth chart at right tackle.

Simmons said some teams suggested the possibility he could play guard for a season or two before moving to tackle. The 49ers figure to have an opening at left guard with Aaron Banks likely to sign elsewhere as a free agent.

Simmons said he connected with Lynch during their interview because both are from Torrey Pines. Simmons transferred to Ohio State from San Diego State for his final two seasons.

“So we were chopping it up like that a little bit,” Simmons said of Lynch. “It was a good interview.”

With a clean bill of health, Simmons easily could be the first offensive lineman selected in the draft. But recovery from patellar tendon injuries can be tricky, with the quadriceps muscle often becoming compromised.

“It’s not easy, so you’re going to go in and be angry at every rep in rehab,” Simmons said. “It’s going to feel sore some days, but you have to push through that and push through the eccentrics. Quad is going to be the biggest thing because sometimes that can kind of lack. Other than that, you have to go really, really hard with it.”

Simmons (6-foot-5, 310 pounds) is regarded as a smooth athlete who showed tremendous improvement throughout his college career. His style would appear to suit the 49ers’ system. He also interviews well, as he highlighted his attention to detail and work ethic.

“I like to think I’m very ahead in terms of repertoire of pass sets, the way I think about the game, how I diagnose fronts,” he said. “Obviously, you get all that in your head and you knock that out before you step up to the ball, you can play a lot faster.”

His injury was a significant setback that creates a lot of questions entering the draft. He could go in the top 10 in the draft, or he could last much later, depending on how teams view the long-term prognosis for his knee.

“You do everything right and make a big improvement from ’23 to ’24,” Simmons said. “Then something like that happens and you definitely give the reality that anything can happen so take advantage of everything in front of you.”

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