Florham Park The Jets rounded out their 2015 draft class by selecting nose tackle Deon Simon in the seventh round.
Simon, who turns 25 in July, had a long journey to being drafted. He missed his senior season of high school with a knee injury.
“I overcame a lot,” he said. “I kept a good mindset and I’m finally getting my opportunity to play at the next level.”
After a year of prep school in Houston, TX, he decided to attend Northwestern State University in Louisiana.
He said the best position for him is at nose guard, and he has the body for it. He’s 6-4, 332 pounds and carries the nickname “Big D.” He said he likes taking up two or three blockers at the line of scrimmage in order to free up his linebackers.
Simon said he talked with Jets coaches at the NFL Combine and had one conversation with the team between then and Saturday.
He was the third defensive player taken in the draft, joining first-round pick Leonard Williams and third-rounder Lorenzo Mauldin.
The Jets’ defensive front is stacked at this point, so Simon will have is work cut out for him when he arrives in Florham Park.
