I was under the impression Yoop was asking for guys in their first contract, or first four years, so I didn't give veteran player like Simmons any consideration.

Simmons will be an extremely interesting case, as he's got the physical tools, but has struggled to make the most of them in 5 previous years.

That being said, his best roles so far have been coverage LB and blitzer from the slot, and with that, people believe his best usage might be a coverage LB in an aggressive scheme that's blitzes a lot, and keep him the heck away from DB roles, which seems to be what the Packers are going to be attempting with him.

Previously, teams used him in the slot role a lot... and his best year was his first year with the Giants, under Don Martindale, an aggressive play caller who was mainly using him as a LB, but also some in the slot. But the Giants forced Martindale and got a more conservative scheme.


Simmons very well could break out in the right fitting scheme, one that asks him to only be a fast LB, and keeps the OL and WRs off of him.


I think one could argue for Simmons for breakout player on the team, though personally, I'd still put Cooper over him.



Also, just wanted to ask, how much do RB Lloyd and LB Hopper actually have to do, to be considered a breakout for them? Just asking, as they've set the bar so low...

Lloyd just staying fully healthy might be a breakout... Hopper earnings some defensive snaps might be a breakout.

Also, a former Packers turned college coach, coached Hopper and suggested he'll be one of the best blitzing off-ball LBers in the NFL... if true, he might actually break out in certain defensive roles this off-season, but that's looking doubtful so far.