Ravens grab Mooney's Simon in 4th round

April 28, 2013 at 12:08a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Cardinal Mooney High graduate John Simon has always prided himself on being a blue-collar player from a blue-collar town.

That’s why he thinks he’ll fit right in with this new team, the Baltimore Ravens.

“They are just a tough, hard-nosed team, and I feel that’s how I play the game, and I am just really excited to be part of the organization and look forward to getting to practice,” Simon said on a conference call Saturday. “I am going to do whatever it takes to do the best I can and to help the team out in any way possible. Whatever that role is, I am going to just embrace it and do everything I can to be the best possible player for the Baltimore Ravens I can be.”

Simon, the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year last season at Ohio State, was drafted with the 32nd pick in the fourth round (129 overall). Although he played defensive end with the Buckeyes, he will most likely play outside linebacker in Baltimore’s 3-4 scheme.

When asked if he’s ready to compete with veterans on a Super Bowl championship team, he said, “Absolutely. That’s what you go into the National Football League for, to compete against the best. I am looking forward to the challenge and looking forward to start practicing.”

Simon was the only Mahoning Valley native drafted this season and is the first Cardinal picked since tight end Vince Marrow went to the Bills in the 11th round in 1992. There are two Cardinals in the NFL right now — safety Kyle McCarthy (Chiefs) and DT Ishmaai’ly Kitchen (Browns) — but both signed as undrafted free agents.

SDLqIt just adds to the rich tradition at Cardinal Mooney,” said Simon’s high school coach, P.J. Fecko. “Obviously, this area has had a lot of success in football and at Cardinal Mooney, we’ve been blessed with a lot of great folks who have come through the program.

“People like John are the reason the program is what it is. We’ve been fortunate to have an impact statewide and obviously at the national level in college and the NFL. John is just continuing that and adding to it and raising the bar higher for all the future Cardinals along the way. And he’s making all the former Cardinals extremely proud.”

Simon (6-foot-1, 257 pounds) has drawn raves for his work ethic and his leadership, with OSU coach Urban Meyer joking he was going to name his next child after Simon.

Fecko said it’s Simon’s intangibles, not just his talent, that set him apart.

“He’s not the biggest guy on the field or anything like that, but he’s a guy that can make plays and raise the level of play around him,” Fecko said. “We’ve known that and Urban Meyer figured that out really quick. You saw his impact on his teammates.

“When you have someone like that, who has such a drive, it’s a great asset. He’s a highly competitive guy that goes 100 miles an hour and everybody around him is going to have to get in that same groove.”

Simon missed the Michigan game with a knee injury and was forced to leave the Senior Bowl early due to a shoulder injury that also sidelined him during the NFL combine.

“My health is 100 percent,” he said. “I am good to go.”