6020-180, 4JR Charlotte, North Carolina
Games Reviewed: Louisville (2021), Wake Forest (2022), NC State (2022), North Carolina CCG (2022)
Clemson Linebacker Trenton Simpson – Jacob Kupferman/AP Photo
Pro: Athleticism
Simpson
showed out at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in March, which was to be expected. The former 5-star recruit has athletic traits that show up all over his tape. While his range isn’t elite, he does have good overall speed combined with high-level explosiveness. Simpson’s change of direction skills are some of the best in the class and this shows up when he is engaged with blockers or asked to shadow in man coverage. A team that drafts Simpson will, at the very least, have one of the better second-level athletes to mold in their vision.
Con: Pass Coverage
Clemson changed Trenton Simpson’s role from the 2021-22 season to the 2022-23 one. In his sophomore year, he was used almost exclusively as an EDGE rusher on obvious passing downs if he wasn’t pulled in general. This past season his role was expanded to have him drop into coverage more often. With the level of athlete he is, Simpson seems like a natural fit for the open field and this holds true for man coverage vs tight ends/running backs. However, his athletic ability does not mask his awareness issues in zone coverage. There are plenty of plays where he leaves his zones too soon, leaving receivers entering open. Or not taking deep enough drops leaving open holes in coverage that are not typically schemed open. Could stand from learning to use his length to create leverage and take away passing lanes.
Pro: Versatility
While this isn’t the most elite of his traits, it is a large advantage to drafting Simpson. With his athletic profile and playing experience, NFL defensive coordinators will have plenty of different ways to deploy him. Simpson typically would line up in 3 different alignments; outside stack linebacker, EDGE rusher, or out in the slot. As the stack LB he used his speed and COD to weave through crowds and chase plays from the backside. When in the overhang (EDGE) he exhibited an explosive first step to attack both the run and pass games, providing a lot of game-changing plays behind the LOS. In the slot, as previously discussed, he was capable of manning with athletic tight ends or working on his zone coverage drops.
Con: Run Defense Instincts
While Trenton Simpson has the athletic and positional versatility of an elite linebacker prospect, he has one glaring limitation in his game. The one position he has shown struggles playing on film is the traditional stack middle linebacker. When facing the box in run-defense situations, he is slow to process the blocks leading to late attacks. This has allowed for several plays to occur that he was in position for, but not able to have a great impact. The times he makes large splash plays vs. the run is when he is coming from the outside stack or overhang where he is schemed to be aggressively attacking the gap instead of read & reacting.
Pro: Measurables
One look at Trenton Simpson’s
MockDraftable web shows the level of overall athlete he presents for a defense. While his height and weight are slightly below or at average, respectfully, the rest of his profile more than makes up for it. His 25 bench press reps are in the 75th percentile all time for linebackers, while his hand size, 10-yard split and 40-yard dash all sit between the 85th and 97th percentile. He is a rare athlete and with the size of teams shrinking with the importance placed on the passing game in the modern NFL, his historical size concerns are slightly overblown.
Positional Projection
Trenton Simpson is both limited to the amount of defenses he will be able to play in but is extremely versatile within that system. Teams looking for an immediate starter in the middle, one who can quarterback their defense, should look elsewhere. Trenton Simpson should be placed in a scheme that will give him frequent gap blitzes to take advantage of his athletic talents without forcing him to struggle with reading and reacting to NFL offenses. While he learns to be more confident in zone coverage, Simpson can be an impact player when it comes to rushing the passer and making less athletic lineman’s lives hell. Look for him to be a team’s starting weakside backer before potentially moving into the middle after two years of progression mentally in a consistent defensive system.
Round Speculation
The 2023 draft has a lack of top-end talent at the linebacker position, with a fight between several players to be the first off the board at the position. Simpson is solidly in that conversation and has the potential to be a late first-round pick for linebacker-needy teams. Expect him to get buzz starting around pick 23 with the Minnesota Vikings, with a realistic ceiling in the early 2nd round.
