An athletic marvel at the linebacker position, Clemson’s Trenton Simpson has so many unique traits for his spot and he hopes that and his production will be enough to be one of the first linebackers off the board as he enters the 2023 NFL draft.
Here is everything you need to know about the Tigers’ playmaker:
Vitals
Height: 6-3
Weight: 240
Class: Junior
40 Time: 4.43
Strengths
An athletic superstar at Clemson, Trenton Simpson player both inside and outside as a linebacker using his rare speed and athleticism to play both quite well, though better outside overall. Over the last two years, he littered the stat sheet with 138 tackles, eight and a half sacks, and two forced fumbles for the Tiger’s defense.
As a pass defender, Simpson possesses excellent closing burst and speed that allows him to excel in covering vast windows that he can close on quickly and put his paws on the ball or wrap up the defender should they catch it. He closes windows quickly and can keep up and maintain good physical balance with just about any tight end. While he can sometimes get lost in coverage, the physical tools he possesses will allow him to develop into one of the better pass-defending linebackers in the league should he improve and take it all in.
As a run defender Simpson excels in playing spy to mobile quarterbacks, flowing with their movements and mirroring whatever cuts they make, he will be able to grow that role at the next level where the league is littered with quarterbacks with elite athletic skills. His speed allows him to shoot across the field and track down even the speedier backs, and it is rare that he was out accelerated when he took good angles. He has also shown good traits as a pass rusher should he be asked to do so, with good bend for his size and that same athleticism and speed being an issue for some slower tackles to handle, as he could burst around the edge without much contact or close quickly and squeeze through on a delayed blitz.
Weaknesses
Trenton Simpson regressed this last year when he was asked to play inside. The move into being more of a stack backer exposed some flaws in his game that he will need to work out. His size likely limits him to just outside linebackers in the NFL, and it also has led to him being swallowed up in the run game without a ton of counter moves to escape. He often took poor angles when tracking down runners which made his elite athletic traits all but irrelevant when he could close correctly.
He also needs to work on tackling in general as too many times he would whiff arm tackles or not give enough of a clean effort in bringing down the ball carrier. He will need to work with an NFL coaching staff on taking better angles and developing better and more willing form tackles to ensure ball carriers do not escape his grasp.
Projection
Trenton Simpson has so many unique athletic gifts and is a true speed demon at the position with an extremely high upside. He had a down year last year and the cracks in his game shined brighter than teams would have liked, leading to a lot of issues that will need to be worked on and cleaned up to be a reliable starter in the NFL.
His traits as a spy, blitzer, and pass defender will ensure he still goes high in the draft, as he simply has so many desirable tools and has shown he can be productive over his career. Expect him to be among the first few off-the-ball linebackers taken.
Projection: Top 50
