Cardinals news: Isaiah Simmons emphasizes importance of being strong mentally

The Arizona Cardinals were able to get their hands on Isaiah Simmons in the 2020 NFL Draft, and he seems to be as sharp as they come.

The Arizona Cardinals made quite a splash by taking Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He turned heads with his physical traits throughout the draft process, and there is plenty of optimism that he can help spark a potential resurgence for this lackluster defense.

Simmons' rare combination of size and speed made him one of the most highly-touted prospects in this year's class. Regardless, he feels his biggest strength lies in his mental fortitude, via Bob McManaman of AZCentral.com:

“The mental part of football is just as important, if not more important, than when you’re playing,” Simmons said. “When you get to this point, everybody is a good athlete. Everybody is capable of doing the physical part. The guys that really separate are the guys who are really mentally sharp, so I really pride myself in that.”

Simmons added that the mental aspect of making the transition from safety to linebacker at Clemson helped him kick his game top a notch.

“I feel like the more you know, the better you are,” Simmons said. “The more and more I was able to learn the positions and the responsibilities of everyone, the better I was at playing, which is weird because you would think it would be a lot to handle, but honestly, the more I had to do the better I was playing.”

The recipe for success clearly worked out for Simmons. He finished the 2019 campaign with 104 tackles, 8.0 sacks, eight pass deflections, three interceptions, and a forced fumble en route to earning every notable honor a linebacker can receive.

Simmons' versatile skill set should help pay huge dividends for a Cardinals defense that still has a number of holes to fill ahead of the 2020 NFL season. Although he may be a rookie, his mentality will need to be that of a seasoned veteran if he hopes to help turn things around on this side of the ball.

Despite the remaining personnel issues on defense, expectations are as high as ever for Arizona going into the 2020 campaign thanks to the turnaround on offense led by quarterback Kyler Murray. Of course, it remains to be seen if the defense will be able to do its part to make their presence felt in the competitive NFC West.