2025 NFL Draft: Cody Simon Selected No. 115 Overall By Arizona Cardinals

Former Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon became the eighth Buckeye off the board in the 2025 NFL draft when he was selected 115th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. He will reunite with former OSU teammates Marvin Harrison Jr. and Paris Johnson Jr.

Simon spent five seasons with Ohio State after committing as part of the 2020 recruiting class, when he was ranked the No. 75 player in the class and the No. 4 interior linebacker. He had an up-and-down career with the Buckeyes, earning a starting role in the 2021 season, but when Jim Knowles shifted to a 4-2-5 defense the next year, he was in a reserve role behind Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers, who both played their first NFL seasons in 2024.

He earned that starting spot back for the 2024 season with the Buckeyes, also being named the recipient of the Block “O” jersey as one of the captains of the team.

He ended up leading the team last year with 112 total tackles, including five games in which he had double-digit tackles, 13 tackles for loss, seven sacks, seven passes defended, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as the “quarterback” of the No. 1 defense in the country.

Simon finished his Buckeye career with 259 tackles, 25 for loss, 10 sacks, 11 passes defended, an interception and two forced fumbles in 57 games played.

Now the former Buckeye will look to earn a role with the Cardinals after being selected in the fourth round while he learns from Mack Wilson, Josh Sweat and more.