Chris Simms of NBC Sports is no stranger to controversial statements surrounding his thoughts on the NFL. He raised a few eyebrows when he created his list of the top five wide receivers in this year's draft for the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast. That list is below.
- CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
- Justin Jefferson, LSU
- Henry Ruggs, Alabama
- K.J. Hamler, Penn State
- Tee Higgins, Clemson
You might notice a glaring omission from the list. Many consider Jerry Jeudy of Alabama the best receiver in this draft class, but Simms doesn't even have him in his top five. Even those who don't consider Jeudy to be the best receiver in this class probably rank him in the top two or three.
Simms goes on to state that he ran his list by a few of his closest friends in the NFL and indicated that once he made it clear this represented who he felt were the best receivers in this draft and not a mock of the order they would be selected, those individuals were okay with it.
Now, you may be wondering why you would care about Simms' opinion. Maybe you don't. It is worth noting, though, that one of Simms' closest friends is San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. However, he doesn't explicitly state that Shanahan was among the group with which he shared the list.
Simms does mention that he did receive "very positive feedback" from those to whom he sent his list.
"You know, everyone thinks Jeudy is going in the first round," Simms said. "But I will say, with some of my close friends and the conversations I've had with them, you know, Jeudy, I don't think is as loved by the whole NFL as everybody thinks he is."
Simms addressed the backlash surrounding Jeudy not being among his top five during the next episode of his podcast, clarifying that he does like the former Crimson Tide receiver.
Added Simms: "I just want to make this clear: There's a lot to like about Jeudy. I like Jeudy. I just want to make it clear, to me, yes, I would not risk a top 20 pick on a guy like Jerry Jeudy."
Back to the 49ers, one fan asked if Simms was doing his part in trying to get Jeudy to fall to No. 13 for his friend, Shanahan. Simms denied the accusation.
"I am interested in knowing if Kyle is thinking about a receiver at 13 or 31," Simms added. "I think that's a very real possibility. I don't think there's any doubt about that.
"I think in my heart of hearts, though, I would think that Jerry Jeudy is not Kyle's type of guy."