STRONG POINTS

Sims is a good athlete with the quickness, acceletation and speed to make plays from sideline to sideline against the run and the pass. Has good instincts and has shown the ability to read and react quickly to the play when he stays focused. Has good natural strength and can stand up the lead blocker in the hole on the inside run. Drops off the ball into zone coverage very smoothly, reads the quarterback correctly, breaks and closes quickly. Can use his front arm to break up the pass well. Has shown the athleticism and speed to cover tight ends in tight man-to-man coverage -- can stay with them down the seam and out of their cuts.

WEAKNESSES

Obviously, Sims is shorter than ideal and this allows blockers to engulf him if they can lock up. Cannot make plays on high passes in man-to-man coverage. The biggest thing that hinders his production is his tendency to play too aggressive and get out of control at times, because this leads Sims to jumping on fakes and missing too many tackles. Overall, his weaknesses are definitely correctable because he has the physical tools. Rarely do players become better tacklers once they get to the NFL.

POSITIONAL FACTORS

Grade Category Comments/Description 5.5 Read & React Usually reads and reacts fast, but will bite on fakes due to over aggressiveness too often. 6.0 Initial Quickness He does not always get moving in the right direction, but always gets moving quickly at the snap. 5.5 Play Strength He has the natural strength to play strong at the point of attack, but does not do it nearly consistently enough. 5.5 Tackling Too often he stops his feet before contact and ends up lunging and diving, which leads to missed tackles 5.5 Shed Blocker When he attacks the play and uses hands aggressively, Sims can take on and shed blocks well. 5.5 Run at Him Needs to attack the play more consistently, because at times he tries to go around blocks too often. 6.0 Pursuit/Range His effort, acceleration and speed help him consistently chase plays down in backside pursuit. 6.0 Closing Burst Has a good closing burst to finish plays when he gets close to the ball carrier. 6.0 Zone Coverage Drops quickly into zone coverage, reads the quarterback well and can break and close fast to make plays on the ball. 5.5 M/M Coverage Can stay right on tight ends when he stays focused, but occasionally is a beat late when picking up tight end and allows separation. 6.0 Pass Rush Ability Not explosive off the ball from a three-point stance, but has very quick hands and feet to defeat blocks. 5.5 Errors Gets over aggressive and out of control, which leads to misreads and missed tackles too often.

ATHLETIC ABILITY	Section Grade: 6.0
Sims' good athletic ability is a big part of what has helped him be a productive college linebacker, but he does not consistently play up to that ability. Has very quick feet, which allow him to accelerate to full speed fast and help him to break quickly to what he reads. Has the quick feet and agility to change directions fast and can burst quickly in the other direction while chasing down plays in pursuit. When he stays over his feet and under control, Sims no doubt has the athletic ability to break down and tackle well out in space. But the trouble is that more often than not he does not tackle well in space. His foot quickness, agility and flexibility allow him to bend his knees and drop off the ball quickly and smoothly -- can transition out of his backpedal easily, closes quickly on the pass, and makes hard hits right after the pass is caught.
Q.A.B. Quick Feet C.O.D. Flexibility Coordination 6.0 6.5 6.0 6.0 6.0

COMPETITIVENESS	Section Grade: 6.0
Sims has shown toughness in playing through dings to stay in the lineup. Not afraid to take on lead blockers strong and aggressive at the point of attack. Sims' overall production in key situations is completely dependent on how aggressive he plays while still staying focused and under control. When he attacks the play, he can stand up the lead blocker strong at the point of attack, flashing the ability to get free to make tackles. However, when he does not attack the play, blockers can get on him and eliminate him. Sims is productive in pass coverage -- plays well when dropping into zone coverage, can cover the tight end well in tight man-to-man coverage, and "buzzes" out to the flat to pick up the running back on short dump-off passes. The trouble is that when Sims is not aggressive, he is unproductive. When he is too aggressive, he ends up biting on play fakes and misdirection plays, and ends up missing too many tackles in space. He is definitely a team player who consistently competes hard and nevers stops hustling and chasing after the ball to make plays in pursuit.
Toughness Clutch Play Production Consistency Team Player Pride/Quit 6.0 5.5 5.5 5.5 6.0 6.0

MENTAL ALERTNESS	Section Grade: 5.5
Sims has shown intelligence in his use of hands to take on and defeat blocks, but it is concerning that he does not have a good tackling technique and lets his emotions get the better of him at times. He has good instincts and the quick feet to react quickly, but because he gets over aggressive at times, he jumps on fakes and misdirection plays and cannot recover quick enough. Has a tendency to lose his focus and concentration at times, and it leads to him getting over aggressive and out of control, which ends up causing missed tackles and other mistakes.
Learn/Retain Instincts/Reactions Concentration 5.5 5.5 5.5

STRENGTH/EXPLOSION	Section Grade: 5.5
Sims is definitely shorter than ideal for a linebacker, but he is very solidly built, which helps him make up for it at times. His lack of size for the position and inconsistent aggressiveness is a concern about his ability to be a durable NFL linebacker. He is a naturally explosive linebacker and shows it when he attacks the play -- can make explosive hits and can close on passes to make plays on the ball. When he plays with knees bent, his leverage and aggressive hand usage can make him a strong player at the point of attack, but he has a tendency to get up high when he plays passive and is not strong at the point of attack. Can be driven out of the play by blockers and can be dragged for extra yards by ball carriers.
Body Type Durability Explosion Play Strength 5.0 5.0 6.0 5.5