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Tennessee defensive lineman invited to NFL Combine

On3 imageby:Eric Cain•01/28/25•

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Tennessee DT Elijah Simmons. Credit: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
Tennessee DT Elijah Simmons. Credit: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tennessee senior defensive tackle Elijah Simmons has received and accepted an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine, according to a social media post made by Simmons on Tuesday.

The NFL Scouting Combine will be held February 24 through March 3 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. According to the NFL’s official website, the event “allows NFL scouts to evaluate that year’s top draft-eligible college players on a variety of medical, mental and physical criteria.” It’s like an intensive job interview that measures jumps, position drills, 40-yard dashes, bench press and much more.  

Not all draft-eligible players are invited to the NFL Combine as the official list of invites will be announced sometime in February prior to the event. More Tennessee representatives are expected to be invited to the 2025 NFL Combine as well. The program will make a formal announcement about who is participating in the event at a later date.  

Simmons was a six-year contributor on the defensive line for the Vols, redshirting in 2019 and taking advantage of the COVID year of extra eligibility in 2024. He finished his Tennessee career with 59 tackles, seven tackles for loss and half a sack. Simmons logged 840 career snaps on the Volunteer defensive line, totaling 13 hurries and three quarterback hits along the way.  

The Nashville, Tenn. native’s bets season came in 2023 when he registered 19 stops and three TFLs over a career-high 191 snaps. Simmons was originally a three-star rated prospect out of Pearl-Cohn High School.

Despite injuries sidelining much of his collegiate career, Simmons remains an intriguing NFL prospect at 6-foot-2, 340 pounds. Bruce Feldman of the Athletic listed Simmons among his annual preseason ‘Freaks’ list in 2022. The list highlights a player who generates buzz inside their programs by displaying the unique physical abilities that wow even those who observe gifted athletes every day.

Further evidence of Simmons being a ‘freak’ was seen in 2019 when a video of him dunking a basketball and then making a full court basket went ‘viral.’ He’s also a talented singer as he sung the National Anthem ahead of a Tennessee baseball game last spring.  

The NFL Draft will be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin this year from April 24-26.

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