Cedrick Simmons

Physical Profile

Listed anywhere from 5-8.5/197 (247Sports) to 5-10/190 (MaxPreps), Simmons carries a running-back build on a receiver frame: thick lower half, low center of gravity, and verified weight-room strength (280 bench, 345 deadlift). That density lets him absorb contact after the catch and hold up as a tackler on defense, and it is why coaches have talked about backfield touches. The tradeoff is a short catch radius and limited length, which caps him against press on the perimeter and is the main reason both 247Sports and Alabama project him inside. Testing numbers (40, shuttle, vertical) are not published, so his straight-line speed is inferred from film and camp reports rather than measured.

Play Style

Simmons is the focal point of his offense and gets the ball every way a slot can: quick game, seams, crossers, and manufactured touches (6 carries, 96 yards, 1 TD). On film he plays with a runner's mentality, lowers his pad level after the catch, and breaks arm tackles rather than relying on pure elusiveness. His route breaks are sharp for a compact player and he tracks the deep ball well, which explains the 20-plus yards per catch. Defensively he is a rangy, ball-hawking free safety who reads quarterbacks and finishes plays, and that competitiveness shows on offense in contested situations. 247Sports' Andrew Ivins comped him to Amare Thomas: an 'unconventional offensive weapon' with 'monster production' from a compact frame.

Strengths

• Elite production: 2,192 receiving yards on 106 catches led the state of Alabama in 2025, and he averaged more than 20 yards per reception on heavy volume, which shows he is both the primary target and a big-play source, not a screen-and-swing compiler.
• Route craft and ball tracking: 247Sports analyst Gabe Brooks credited him with 'deft route running and ball-tracking ability' at Alabama's June camp, where he made his case as a top performer against Power 4-level competition rather than only against Class 5A defenses.
• Run-after-catch and contested finishing: media evaluations consistently describe a 'physical and explosive' player who creates separation, wins contested throws despite his height, and runs like a back once the ball is in his hands, which fits the tight-window slot role.
• Ball skills project to both sides: 7 interceptions with 2 returned for scores as a junior safety confirm the hands, tracking, and instincts translate, and give Alabama a fallback evaluation at nickel or safety if the receiver room gets crowded.

Areas to Improve

• Perimeter viability: at 5-8.5 with a short catch radius, he will need to prove he can beat press and win outside; without that, his college role is confined to the slot and he competes with a deeper pool of similar bodies.
• Verified speed: no published 40 or shuttle times, so his separation profile is unproven against SEC defensive backs; the Composite ATH #43 ranking suggests evaluators are waiting on testing.
• Level of competition: his junior numbers came in Alabama Class 5A, and the school-name discrepancy (Southside-Selma per MaxPreps and Hudl vs. Selma per 247Sports) should be resolved before his senior film is weighted, since a change in program affects the competitive baseline.

College Projection

Alabama's stated plan is slot receiver first, with possible reps outside and in the backfield. Realistic timeline is a redshirt or limited-snap freshman year in 2027 while he learns Ryan Grubb's system, then a rotational slot and special-teams contributor in years two and three. Best case, he becomes a 40-to-60-catch chain-mover with red-zone value by his third season. If the WR depth chart stalls, his interception production makes a move to nickel or safety a legitimate second path, which raises his floor for staying on the field.

Best Fit

A spread or pro-spread scheme that features the slot on option routes, crossers, and designed touches, with a coordinator willing to move him into the backfield situationally. Alabama under DeBoer and Grubb has used undersized, high-production slot receivers this way, so the fit is sound. He would be miscast in a scheme that isolates receivers on the boundary against press coverage.