Cody Simon checks all the boxes Arizona Cardinals need in a Mike linebacker

USA Today

26-04-2025

Cody Simon checks all the boxes Arizona Cardinals need in a Mike linebacker The strong emphasis on defense for the Arizona Cardinals continued Saturday morning with the addition of linebacker Cody Simon
The strong emphasis on defense for the Arizona Cardinals continued Saturday morning with the addition of linebacker Cody Simon with the 13th selection in the fourth round of the draft, the 115th overall pick.
What also continued is the mantra of high character and intelligence espoused by the Cardinals, with the latter being paramount to compete at the Mike spot on defense.
Simon was Academic All-Big Ten three times and graduated with a degree in finance in December, 2023. Currently, he is studying for a master's degree in human development and family services.
At Ohio State last season, the Buckeyes team captain had 112 tackles with 12.5 for loss, 7.0 sacks and seven passes defensed. He was the defensive MVP in the Rose Bowl and College Football Championship Game. Described as an 'ultimate team guy,' Simon had no penalties in 1,861 career snaps.
After the draft is over, we can expect head coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort to gush about Simon's traits.
The Athletic player evaluator Dane Brugler chimed in by calling Simon a "selfless individual' whose 'personal character is off the charts."
A classic quote came from former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who once said, 'Cody is a future president of the United States.'
The genes are also strong. His father Mike went to Army and played on the rugby team, while his mother Amy ran track at Michigan. She is now a managing director at Morgan Stanley and was the first Black woman to be named a managing director in investment banking at Merrill Lynch.
Simon got a jump on Gannon when he was asked after the selection about his production last season and said, 'I think all of that is about timing, it's about preparation and learning the weaknesses of certain offenses. I think I found a little bit of a knack to get to the quarterback last season and it's just being aggressive and being fast and violent, so that's really a good recipe for it.'
Simon described his best attributes when he said, 'As a linebacker you need to have great instincts, and I think that's my biggest strength. Having great instincts and being able to tackle well. Being a great leader and communicator is vital for a good defense. If your middle linebacker can have that, you can have a good middle linebacker.'
He'll now be learning a new defense and be competing with free-agent additions Akeem Davis-Gaither and Mykal Walker. Simon isn't concerned.
'I think I can play in any scheme possible,' he said. 'I love being a learner, and I can just study and really prepare the best I can. I'll be ready to play wherever, with whoever. I'm just excited to be a part of a system that's a little bit different and can go and attack offenses.'
Simon said he communicated a lot at the Combine with new linebackers coach Cristian Garcia, who was running some drills.
Simon said, 'We actually had a pretty good relationship at that point. Then, we had some interviews on Zoom. It was a really good relationship from what I could tell. He sounds like a great coach and I'm just super excited to be in that system.'
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