The Mike linebacker and defensive MVP of Ohio State's national title win who stepped into a starting Cardinals role as a rookie.
Cody Simon spent five seasons at Ohio State, growing into the Buckeyes' starting Mike linebacker and a team captain before capping his college career with a national championship. Arizona drafted him in the fourth round in 2025, and he quickly earned significant playing time on Arizona's defense as a rookie.
Path to the league
Simon played five seasons at Ohio State from 2020 to 2024, developing into the Buckeyes' starting Mike linebacker and a team captain. Arizona selected him with the 115th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the first of three Ohio State players the Cardinals have drafted in as many years.
Career highlights
Across his Ohio State career, Simon totaled 121 solo tackles, 129 assisted tackles, 10 sacks and an interception. In his final 2024 season he led the team with 112 tackles and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, then delivered eight tackles in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game to earn defensive MVP honors in Ohio State's win over Notre Dame.
2025 season recap
Simon appeared in 16 games as a rookie with nine starts, recording 76 total tackles, half a sack, two pass deflections and a forced fumble, establishing himself as a core piece of Arizona's linebacker corps.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Cody Simon
- azcardinals.com: Cardinals 2025 draft day three picks - Ohio State's Cody Simon
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
16 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | cardinals | 16 | 76 | 30 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Ohio State
- Hometown
- Jersey City, NJ, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
