| Editor's note: Throughout the season, Pro Football Weekly will run a
continuing series of articles spotlighting top prospects for the 2002 draft. 
Kendall Simmons has always been responsible. On the football field, he is in charge of
preserving the safety of his quarterback as an offensive left tackle. Off the field,
Simmons exhibits tunnel vision rarely seen by Auburn offensive line coach Hugh Nall.
"If he is hampered by anything, has any weakness, it is that he is such a serious
student," Nall said of Simmons, whose artwork appears in the team media guide.
"He’s a (visual communication) major and graduating comes first for him. That
takes away some of the time that a lot of other guys I coach and have coached spend
studying the game."
Nall has molded apprentices such as Oakland Raiders Pro Bowl C Barrett Robbins, Miami
Dolphins ORT Todd Wade and Carolina Panthers OL Jeno James. He said Simmons has the
ability to be the best of the bunch.
"That was pretty obvious right when he got here," Nall said. "There was
no doubt in my mind that Kendall, athletically, was what the pros were looking for."
Simmons, 21, doesn’t have the size commonly seen in NFL offensive tackles. At
6-foot-2, 310 pounds, it is likely he’ll move inside to guard at the next level.
"He’s probably not the rangy type you would look for," Nall said.
"He doesn’t have the arm length you’d like in a tackle. He’s more a
compact, power guy."
Nall said Simmons was urged to keep his weight at 310 with the Tigers, but is working
to add as much as 30 pounds for the pros, maintaining his quickness and agility to become
a "big-time guard." Nall also doesn’t doubt he could slide outside in an
emergency situation.
Though Simmons will be making a transition once he finds his way onto an NFL roster,
scouts haven’t soured on him. In fact, just the opposite reaction has Simmons
projected as a late first-round or early- to mid-second-round pick.
"He’ll be an early pick," said one NFL scout. "He’ll be a
guard. He’ll remind people of a (Cowboys OG) Larry Allen-type guy — real squared
cut, strong, powerful, explosive guy — but kind of a poor man’s Larry Allen. But
he’ll be a high guy — he’s one of the better guards I’ve seen in the
country."
As a tackle, Simmons went face-to-face with some of college football’s best
defensive ends in the form of a triumvirate of All-Americans. Syracuse’s Dwight
Freeney, Florida’s Alex Brown and North Carolina’s Julius Peppers have all seen
Simmons’ work first-hand. Though Auburn’s scheme against Freeney involved backs
and tight ends more than Simmons, Freeney was a nuisance. That motivated Simmons to
silence Brown and Peppers.
"I was excited when I heard we were playing North Carolina," Simmons said of
the Peach Bowl matchup. "Not many people have touched (Peppers) this year."
Simmons didn’t allow a sack to Freeney, who Nall said has the quickest first step
he’s ever seen. Peppers, projected by many as the top defensive player in the 2002
draft, was in the Auburn backfield continuously. Simmons handled Brown with ease. Brown
came into the Florida-Auburn meeting averaging two sacks, but Simmons "didn’t
give him anything" by Nall’s account.
Simmons graded out at 90 percent or better on his blocking assignments as a senior. He
was named All-Southeast Conference, as well as being selected as the league’s top
blocker.
"He’s a better run blocker," Nall said. "But he really works hard
at everything he does. The biggest thing is that he continues to learn, study and develop
in the fundamentals of offensive line play; the true technique and the small things
you’ve got to be able to do on a regular basis."
Simmons’ 5.37 40-yard dash time isn’t a true indicator of his athletic
ability. Or at least not the way head coach Tommy Tuberville sees it.
"He’s an amazing athlete for 310 pounds," Tuberville said. "He
could play defense. There are not many offensive tackles you could say that about. I
wouldn’t want to tell him this, but we thought about playing him both ways. He can
outrun a lot of our defensive players in a straight line, even the linebackers."
Scouts tend to agree.
"He’s a polished guy. He can bend. He can pull. He competes real well.
He’s explosive," said an NFL area scout. "I mean they have him playing left
tackle and he’s only like 6-3, 6-2.5 and he’s 3-something, so that’ll tell
you what kind of an athlete he is."
If there is a concern for Simmons, it is injuries. In 1999, Simmons had double-ankle
surgery.
"He’s had some ankle problems and injuries," added the scout. "That
might be a concern health-wise or longevity-wise. It’s nothing glaring, but going
inside as a guard, he doesn’t have a lot of flaws. There’s no doubt about
it."
The trait that might carry Simmons the furthest in the NFL is his demeanor. According
to Nall, Simmons doesn’t mind being the odd man out when the rest of the guys are out
hitting a party. He understands that his life is bigger than this week.
"He is just a first-class kid," Nall said. "He’s serious all the
time, engaged, not a partier, just focused about all aspects of his life. If I had to go
off for the weekend, I’d leave him at my house with my three kids and not bat an eye.
I know he’d take care of everything that needs to be taken care of."
Memo to Coach Nall: Kendall Simmons is booked on Sundays this fall and winter.
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