Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
Undrafted free agent rookie offensive lineman Torricelli Simpkins III appears to be in line to start his second career game for the New Orleans Saints this week. With starting right guard Cesar Ruiz ruled out against the New York Giants, Simpkins is set to assume the role, as he successfully did in the second half of last week’s game following Ruiz’s exit with an ankle injury.
Simpkins’ previous start was at left guard against the Seattle Seahawks while the Saints were down a pair of offensive linemen.
During his performances thus far, including preseason starts at center, the former South Carolina product has impressed with his physical and aggressive play style.
Torricelli Simpkins (#68) wanted the double kill so, so bad pic.twitter.com/IMYP2baX1n
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) August 14, 2025
This week, he’ll be one of three key rookies to start against the New York Giants. He’ll have his hands full with a talented defensive line, but that challenge is one that didn’t temper the praise of Saints run game coordinator T.J. Paganetti.
“I f***ing love him,” Paganetti said in an exclusive interview with LouisianaSports.Net. “He’s awesome. He’s hilarious. He’s brilliant, one of the smartest players I’ve ever met.”
That is a glowing evaluation of the young offensive lineman. While Simpkins stands out on tape because of his violent demeanor, the intelligence it takes to execute that style can’t be understated.
Knowing when and how to appropriately utilize his physical nature is a must in order to avoid flags or overplaying a rusher. But Simpkins’ knowledge and curiosity extends beyond controlling his manner of play.
“Some of the questions that he was asking when we first were meeting with him in the offseason, they’re way more conceptual,” he said. “Players wouldn’t even think about [what he was asking]. They’re more concerned with technique, but he’s into how the defense is adjusting to a certain block, why a guy is there, the structure of the defense and how it affects him.”
It’s clear that Simpkins is impressing off the field just as much as he has made an impression on it.
After surrendering a 10.4 percent pressure rate against the Seahawks, Simpkins surrendered just one hurry on 24 pass blocking snaps against the Buffalo Bills, 4.2 percent. That percentage was the NFL’s second-best among all rookie offensive linemen for the week.
This week against the Giants he’ll have a chance to build on that success. Simpkins will likely do so against a multi-time second-team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II. Any strong performance by Simpkins cannot be written off as a fluke given that level of veteran competition. From there, the sky is the limit for the undrafted rookie, who has a lot of faith being instilled in him by the Saints’ coaching staff.
“He’s great,” Paganetti said. “He’s really, really smart. He plays with a vicious temperament, which is how you should play. And I think he’s getting better every day, too.”
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