The man who wore the Block O for Ohio State’s national championship team will continue his football career with the Arizona Cardinals.
The Arizona Cardinals selected Cody Simon with the No. 115 overall pick in the fourth round. The former Ohio State captain and linebacker was the first Buckeye off the board on Day 3 and the eighth overall Buckeye to come off the board in the 2025 NFL draft.
Big Ten built pic.twitter.com/QTgm4RzBvf
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) April 26, 2025
It’s the third straight year the Cardinals have drafted a Buckeye as they selected Paris Johnson Jr. in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft and Marvin Harrison Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. The Cardinals also hired former Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye as their offensive line coach this offseason.
Across five seasons and 57 appearances at Ohio State, Simon collected 259 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, one interception, 11 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2024, as well as Defensive MVP accolades in the Buckeyes’ wins over Oregon in the Rose Bowl and Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Ohio State's 2025 NFL Draft Picks
- Emeka Egbuka: Round 1, No. 19, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Donovan Jackson: Round 1, No. 24, Minnesota Vikings
- Tyleik Williams: Round 1, No. 28, Detroit Lions
- Josh Simmons: Round 1, No. 32, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Quinshon Judkins: Round 2, No. 36, Cleveland Browns
- TreVeyon Henderson: Round 2, No. 38, New England Patriots
- JT Tuimoloau: Round 2, No. 45, Indianapolis Colts
- Cody Simon: Round 4, No. 115, Arizona Cardinals
- Lathan Ransom: Round 4, No. 122, Carolina Panthers
- Jack Sawyer: Round 4, No. 123, Pittsburgh Steelers
“This guy is one of the great leaders that I’ve been around,” Ryan Day said after the Buckeyes beat the Irish.
One of the best examples of Simon’s leadership was his announcement that he would come back for the 2024 season. As much credit as Jack Sawyer received for spearheading the movement, Simon was the first to publicly announce his return, and the only one to do so before the 2023 Cotton Bowl.
Simon said those veterans made the difference in Ohio State’s title run.
“The humility and the resilience of not only the seniors, but just everyone on our team,” Simon said. “People deciding to come back for another year when they could have made all the money in the NFL and be first-round picks, they came back for the love of the brotherhood and the appreciation for the culture and all their teammates. I think the story is about determination, resilience, humility, thankfulness, faithfulness, just about everything good that comes out of a team game and team sport.”
Simon will look to continue embodying each of those qualities in Arizona.
