File photo Cody Simon of West Orange will be playing for Ohio State in the national championship game on Jan. 20.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Cody Simon is officially an NFL player.
The West Orange native, who helped The Ohio State University football team capture the College Football Playoff national championship in January, was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on the third and final day of the draft on Saturday, April 26.
Simon, a 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker, was the 13th selection in the round and 115th overall.
Simon had an outstanding senior season, as he was selected to the All-Big Ten Conference First Team, posting a team-leading 112 tackles.
Ohio State was the No. 8 seed in the CFP. In the quarterfinals in the Rose Bowl, he posted 11 tackles to earn Defensive Most Valuable Player honors, helping No. 8 seed OSU to a 41-21 win over No. 1 seed Oregon.
After registering seven tackles in the 28-14 win over the University of Texas in the semifinals at AT&T Stadium, Simon posted eight tackles in the national championship game, earning defensive player of game honors, as the Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame, 34-23, at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Simon played at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City. He was the No. 3-ranked player in the state.
Simon graduated in December with his degree in finance, was a Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar, OSU Scholar-Athlete and Academic all-Big Ten Conference selection. Simon was among 14 Ohio State players who were drafted.
Photo Courtesy of The Ohio State University Athletics
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