Jeffrey Simmons Makes History: First Defensive Tackle Traded for Multiple First-Round Picks—and What the so-called Draft Value Chart Says About the Price

 By John Turney 

The Chicago Bears' acquisition of Jeffrey Simmons from the Tennessee Titans is historic on its face. Simmons is the first defensive tackle in the common draft era (since 1967) traded for multiple first-round picks. The Bears sent their 2027 and 2028 first-rounders plus a 2027 fourth for Simmons and a 2028 fifth.

That package has drawn plenty of "overpaid" commentary.

Some examples:

• Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL)—"I like Simmons a lot, but that’s an overpay imo. Respect Chicago for going for it but I’m not sure it’s the best use of resources. It certainly makes the Bears a bigger pain in the ass to play though and my guess is Simmons will be a bit more motivated playing for a good team for basically his first time. Crazy deal either way."
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• Nick Schwager (@nick__schwager): "Don’t get me wrong, Simmons is a beast but 2 first-round picks and a fourth seems like a massive overpay for someone turning 30."
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• Other notable ones from the initial reaction (widely quoted in coverage):
  • Bob Pompeani: "Simmons is solid but TWO first round picks is a lot."
  • Carmen Vitali (Fox Sports Radio): Called it an "overpay" and "the Khalil Mack trade 2.0."
  • Michael Salfino: "This is a terrible trade for the Bears … DT is not a premium position even. Plus he's 29 and he’s making $100 million guaranteed through 2028 … A+ for the Titans; D-minus for the Bears."
  • ESPN’s Seth Walder graded it critically and said the Bears "ran past" the compensation limit where the trade made sense.

Fair enough. Time will tell.

However, to put the price in context, it helps to walk through the traditional draft value chart (DVC)—the Jimmy Johnson chart that has served as the common language for pick trades for decades—and compare it with earlier deals involving other high-end interior linemen.

The Draft Value Chart in Brief

Under the classic Jimmy Johnson chart, the No. 1 overall pick is assigned 3,000 points. Values then decline steeply:

• No. 6: 1,600 points
• No. 10: 1,300 points
• No. 13: 1,150 points
• No. 17: 950 points
• No. 20: 850 points
• No. 24: 740 points
• No. 26–28: roughly 660–700 points 

The curve, as we know, is deliberately top-heavy. A high single first is worth substantially more than a late first; two late firsts can roughly equal one high first, depending on exact slotting. Future picks are also discounted in practice because their exact positions are unknown, but the chart still gives a useful baseline.

So, to the extent it is still accurate, reporting shows it's been modified and every team has its own version but in the end, teams have to come to some agreement, so our use od the public original chart is not for precise numbers, but a general idea.

DeForest Buckner was traded from the 49ers to the Colts in 2020 for the No. 13 overall pick (1,150 points on the chart) and then signed a large extension. Dexter Lawrence was traded from the Giants to the Bengals in 2026 for the No. 10 overall pick (1,300 points) and also received an extension.

Those two packages sit in a similar neighborhood on the chart—both high-value single first-rounders in the 1,150–1,300 range. They represent the previous high-water marks for trading an established, productive defensive tackle in his prime or just after. So, though they were each a single pick, their value is as high as what the Bears are banking will be given the boost Simmons gives their defense. They want to be drafting 32nd both years, but that is a wish, not a certainty.

Simmons' deal clears both raw pick count (two firsts instead of one), but the two picks, roughly guessing in the 22–28 range (or lower if the Bears go deep into playoffs at least one of the years) would land in the 1,400–1,600 total range—roughly the same chart value as a single pick in the No. 6–10 neighborhood, or a bit more once the extra fourth for a fifth is included.

So, two picks or one, the so-called "value" is about the same.

A useful historical marker is the 1996 trade that sent Sean Gilbert from the Rams to the Redskins for the No. 6 overall pick. On the Johnson chart, that selection carried 1,600 points—a very high pure draft-pick price for a defensive tackle at the time and still high by modern standards. Gilbert was a Pro Bowl-level player entering his prime; the Redskins judged the No. 6 worth surrendering for him.

In pure single-pick DVC terms, that No. 6 remains among the highest chart values ever exchanged for a defensive tackle. The Simmons package (two future firsts plus a fourth) can meet or exceed that 1,600-point threshold depending on where the Bears' picks ultimately land, which is why the deal stands out.

If the Bears don't do well, though, if they draft maybe 15-20, then the Simmons deal could be the new gold standard.

But there is a catch. There was more to the Sean Gilbert story.

After sitting out 1997 as a Washington "franchise player," he signed with the Panthers in 1998; the Redskins received two first-round picks (1999 and 2000) as compensation under the franchise-player rules.

It gets messy in how Washington used the picks, but they traded down, then up, but the net is Champ Bailey, Lavar Arrington, and Jon Jansen and some change. The Panthers did not get a lot of value in Gilbert's play, playing five years in Carolina four as a starter and one as a backup.

The Cowboys' 2025 trade for Quinnen Williams provides a useful recent benchmark. Dallas sent a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and Mazi Smith to the Jets. Analyses that assign chart values to those pieces (using the same or similar models) have generally put the net compensation pretty far below the two-firsts-plus-fourth package the Bears gave for Simmons.

Additionally, today DT Jordan Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 secnd-round pick, a little less than what Dallas gave for Quinnen since they didn't get a a player, Jets got Mazi Smith.

The Williams deal and the Davis deal has looked efficient by comparison once the Simmons price became public. Many thought the price for a non-elite position, i.e., QB, LT, Edge, for example, was high then. Not so much down.

Interestingly,  the discussed deals were for players from age 26 to 29ish, traditionally the "peak" years for a defensive tackle and Simmons is on the upper limit of that. He's a proven, high-production defensive tackle (All-Pro, multiple Pro Bowls, strong sack and pressure numbers).

No matter if the value is that of a top 10, or top 15 in the end, and no matter that the early reviews are positive, things can change more than one thing can be true. It was a steep price and on paper, the most even for a defensive interior and also that on a closer look it is about the same as a few other deals when looked at under the lens of the DVC.

In any event, he's been fun to watch in his orange sleeves.