| No. 96 – Arizona Cardinals | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Nose tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 26, 2001 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 335 lb (152 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Pearl-Cohn (Nashville, Tennessee) |
| College: | Tennessee (2019–2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Practice squad |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Elijah Well Simmons (born July 26, 2001) is an American professional football nose tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Simmons was born on July 26, 2001 in Memphis, Tennessee and moved to Nashville, Tennessee when he was eight. [1] Simmons attended Pearl-Cohn Comprehensive High School in Nashville. In his sophomore and junior seasons he combined for 85 tackles as he was named all-Area in his junior season as he helped lead his team to back-to-back playoff semifinal appearances. [2] Simmons also won state titles in both shot put and discus. [3] Coming out of high school, he was rated as a three-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Tennessee Volunteers over offers from Memphis and Missouri. [2]
As a freshman in 2019, Simmons appeared in three games and took a redshirt. [4] In 2020, he played in ten games for the Volunteers, where he tallied ten tackles and a pass deflection. [5] In 2021, Simmons appeared in seven games with four starts, where he notched 11 tackles with two being for a loss. [6] In 2022, he posted eight tackles with one going for a loss for Tennessee. [7] In 2023, Simmons recorded 19 tackles with three being for a loss for the Volunteers. [8] In 2024, he played in all 13 games for Tennessee, making two starts, where he totaled 11 tackles with one and a half being for a loss. [9]
Simmons declared for the 2025 NFL draft, while also accepting an invite to participate in the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. [9]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 334 lb (151 kg) | 32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 5.37 s | 1.88 s | 3.11 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) | 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m) | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine [10] [11] | ||||||||||||
On April 28, 2025, Simmons signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent. [12] He was waived on August 26 as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. [13] [14]