Arizona Cardinals select Cody Simon in fourth round of 2025 NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals have selected Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He was taken with the 115 overall pick in the draft.

Simon, who turned 23 earlier this month, spent five years in Columbus. He emerged as a key player on the Buckeyes’ defense in 2021, tallying 54 combined tackles, one sack and one interception.

Simon was productive the following two seasons but took his game to another level in 2024. He appeared in 15 games, recording 112 combined tackles, 13 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Simon, who helped lead Ohio State to a College Football Playoff National Championship, was named Defensive MVP in the 34-23 victory over Notre Dame.

As a recruit, Simon was ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 60 overall recruit in the 2020 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Simon checked in as the No. 10 linebacker in the class and No. 1 overall player from the state of New Jersey, hailing from Saint Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.).

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Cody Simon

Simon stood out throughout his collegiate career. NFL Network‘s Lance Zierlein wrote the following in evaluating Simon:

“Inside linebacker with a stout frame, good toughness and adequate talent,” Zierlein wrote. “Simon plays with decent instincts and awareness to diagnose the action. He takes decent paths to the ball and is adept at slipping blocks or playing into them without losing much gap integrity. He’s athletic with average pursuit speed to chase and tackle wide.

“He’s technically sound as a tackler but has short arms, so positioning will be key to prevent broken tackles. Simon has enough talent for three-down consideration and should be able to help on special teams until he proves he’s ready to go from backup to starter.”