Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB Clemson: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Trotter was a five-star recruit from St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Pa. in the class of 2021

Clemson junior linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. earned All-America honors in his first season starting for the Tigers. With some additional development, the rising star projects as a top-50 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB Clemson: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior MIKE linebacker from Hainesport, N.J.

Background: Trotter was a five-star recruit from St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Pa. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 37 recruit (four-star) according to 247Sports, No. 89 (four-star) for Rivals, and No. 32 (five-star) for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 7th in the nation (five-star) with a 90 grade out of 100. He committed to Clemson over offers from Maryland, Miami, Michigan State, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and other Power Five programs. Trotter helped St. Joseph's Preparatory School win two straight 6A State Championships. He was invited to the Under Armour All-America Game and the All-American Bowl. Trotter’s father, Jeremiah Trotter Sr., played college football at Stephen F. Austin before being selected in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Trotter played for 12 seasons, making four Pro Bowls and earning two All-Pro selections. The younger Trotter was born on Dec. 24, 2002.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed nine games as a high school junior with a broken arm

Awards: 2021 ACC Honor Roll, 2022 Honorable Mention All-ACC, 2022 Second Team All-American

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units, multiple special teams tackles in 2021 and 2022, age, only penalized once in 2022, appears to have a loose lower half, ideal linear speed to play sideline-to-sideline, missile with total range of the field, closing burst, motor runs hot, relentless pursuit, disciplined tackler who squares up when stepping downhill, will lower his shoulder and lay a big hit, willing to step down in the hole and lay the wood, excellent lateral agility to cover multiple gaps, speed to beat offensive linemen to their landmarks in the run game, knows how to attack an offensive lineman’s chest, climbing linemen struggle to handle his quickness, linemen can’t handle his lateral bounce, reads the quarterback’s eyes, quickly gains depth in zone coverage, necessary agility, change of direction skills, and speed to cover most tight ends, productive on stunts with excellent change of direction skills and acceleration

Cons: One-year starter, thin lower half for a MIKE, short for a MIKE, questionable arm length, not immune to sliding off tackle attempts, needs to be more patient before stepping downhill, needs to correct eye-discipline as a run defender, run defense instincts are still developing, takes the eye candy on play action and RPOs, sucked downhill by play action, significant issues tracking the football on QB-RB exchanges against Florida State (2022), might not see into the backfield cleanly at his height, stacking and shedding climbing linemen could prove difficult, needs to recognize and account for climbing guards sooner, lacks the power to defeat linemen with physicality, further development of block defeat skills required, needs more exposure to man coverage

Overview: Trotter cut his teeth on special teams as a freshman at Clemson before stepping into a starting role in 2022. He offers high-level special teams versatility. Trotter appears to have a loose lower half and ideal linear speed to play sideline-to-sideline. He’s a missile with terrific range and closing burst. The New Jersey native’s motor runs hot, and he’s relentless in pursuit. Trotter appears to have short arms, which sometimes leads to him sliding off tackles, but he’s usually a disciplined tackler who squares up to his target. He’s on the shorter side for a MIKE and doesn’t have a thick lower half, but he’s willing to step down in the hole and lay a big hit or challenge a lineman. The former five-star recruit has the lateral agility to cover multiple gaps and the speed to beat offensive linemen to their landmarks in the run game. He still needs to develop his stack and shed technique but already knows how to attack an offensive lineman’s chest. Linemen can’t mirror him in the open field and struggle with his quickness. Trotter reads the quarterback’s eyes in coverage and gains excellent depth in zone. His agility, change of direction skills, and speed suggest he can handle man coverage assignments against tight ends, but he doesn’t have much experience in that role yet. Trotter is a highly impactful run defender when he diagnoses plays correctly. Even with his smaller stature and shorter arms, he pinballs off linemen, blazes past them, or bounces around blockers with his lateral agility to make plays on the ball carrier. It’s when Trotter misdiagnoses run plays that things go downhill. This level of limited post-snap processing isn’t uncommon in first-year starting linebackers. Keep in mind, Trotter is only 20 years old. Projecting for mental and instinctual development elevates the junior to the level of a first round-caliber prospect, but he’ll need to show it on the gridiron before locking up a premier spot on 2024 big boards. The worst-case scenario would be Trotter still showing issues processing and tracking run plays, RPOs, and play action late into the 2023 season. More snaps will help Trotter correct his eye discipline and develop a more patient approach to evaluating eye candy in the backfield. There’s room for his awareness of climbing linemen to develop. Adding more muscle to his frame could open the door to playing through climbing linemen instead of around them.

Overall, Trotter has the makeup of a modern MIKE linebacker with his range, lateral agility, coverage upside, and closing burst, but the one-year starter’s post-snap processing must improve for him to warrant first round consideration.

Role & Scheme Fit: MIKE linebacker in a 4-3 scheme

Round Projection: Early Second to Mid Second

Size: 6'0", 230 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 03-18-23