A return of our Summer Scouting Series here at Steelers Depot as we highlight 2024 NFL Draft hopefuls who are generating buzz prior to the start of the 2023 college football season at positions that the Pittsburgh Steelers may have interest in once the pre-draft process gets underway.
#54 Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Clemson (Junior) – 6’0, 230lb
The Good
— Great athlete with filled-out frame
— Displays closing speed in pursuit of the football
— Explosive athlete who can leap into the air to deflect passes
— Able to change directions in space
— Smart defender who goes through his reads pre-snap
— Physical hitter who uncoils his hips and shoots through the ball-carrier
— Will wrestle runners to the ground with his strength and tenacity
— Effective blitzer on twists and stunts
— Will come downhill in a hurry to fill against the run
— Can string out blocks toward the sideline and work through blocks
— Has the speed and athleticism to run with backs and TEs in coverage
— Instinctive in zone coverage, reading the QB’s eyes during his drops
— Plays the ball well in the air in pass coverage
The Bad
— Lacks great height, size, and length for the position
— Can get stuck on blocks due to size
— Only a one-year starter
— Can stand to improve in man coverage by limiting separation
— May struggle in size matchups against bigger TEs in coverage
— Doesn’t have an established pass-rush repertoire
Bio
— Junior prospect from Hainesport, N.J.
— Born Dec. 24, 2002 (age 21)
— Father, Jeremiah Trotter, Sr., was a four-time Pro Bowler who played 12 NFL seasons for the Eagles, Redskins and Buccaneers from 1998-2009
— Rated as the No. 7 overall prep player in the nation by ESPN.com, including ranks as the nation’s No. 1 linebacker and the top player in Pennsylvania
— Helped St. Joseph’s Prep (PA) win two straight 6A state championships
— Missed nine games as a junior with a broken arm
— Invited to play in both the Under Armour All-America Game and the All-American Bowl
— Enrolled at Clemson in January 2021
— Credited with 22 tackles (one for loss) and one sack over 13 games including 59 defensive snaps as a true freshman
— Started all 14 games as a sophomore and led team in tackles (92) and tackles for loss (13.5), tied for the team lead in sacks (6.5) and added six pass breakups, a forced fumble, and an interception (returned for a touchdown)
— AP second-team All-American (2022), second-team All-ACC (2022)
— Criminal justice major, ACC Honor Roll (2021)
Tape Breakdown
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is currently one of the top ILB prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft and has the production and pedigree to back it up. He was a second-team All-American selection in his first full season as a starter in 2022, posting over 90 total stops along with 13.5 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, six PBUs, and an INT which he returned for a TD. In many ways Trotter is a well-rounded LB who affects the run and the pass game, having the physicality to come downhill as a run defender as well as the coverage and blitzing capabilities to be used in either facet against the passing game.
The bloodlines are strong with Trotter as his father, Jeremiah Trotter Sr., enjoyed a 12-year NFL career as a four-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro at inside linebacker.
When you watch Trotter on tape, you see a physical defender that will come downhill and fill gaps effectively against the run. He is a shorter linebacker who is built low to the ground and does a great job sticking ballcarriers at the place of contact. Watch this clip against Miami (FL) where Trotter flies through the gap on third-and-one. He stops the runner in his tracks as he attempts to get the first down, driving him back as the rest of the defense rallies to the ball for the big stop.
Trotter plays with good closing speed to the football and can be a violent hitter if he has the opportunity to go for the light-up shot. Watch this play against Louisville. Trotter tracks down the QB scrambling from the pocket, blowing him up along the sideline and causing him to fumble the ball on contact as he falls out of bounds.
If you want to see the stopping power of Trotter watch this rep in the same game. The runner spins off one tackle attempt right as Trotter closes in, uprooting the runner off the ground as he proceeds the plant him into the turf with a great form tackle. Trotter hits the runner so hard that the ball comes out and a Clemson teammate recovers.
When it comes to stopping the run, Trotter does a great job of pursing the football and working through and around blocks as he chases the ball. Watch the first clip of Trotter as he works through one block attempt on his way to make the tackle against Florida State. In the second clip against the Hurricanes, watch as Trotter Jr. lines up on the edge and works through the RT. He stacks and sheds him at the LOS to set the edge and clear the block to make the tackle in the backfield.
Trotter is a good athlete who can redirect in space and chase down running backs and scrambling QBs in the open field. Against South Carolina, watch Trotter blitz as QB Spencer Rattler drops back to pass. He works off the block as Rattler attempts to scramble and takes him down in the open field behind the LOS for a loss.
Trotter is an effective blitzer when able to loop around a defensive lineman or shoot through gaps on twists and stunts. Watch this blitz against Miami where Trotter lines up in the opposite B-gap and proceeds to loop around to the other B-gap. He adjusts as the QB attempting to evade the blitz and takes him down for a big sack.
In pass coverage, Trotter does a good job dropping into zones as an intermediate/flat coverage defender and uses his instincts to play the ball when it’s in the air. Watch this rep against South Carolina. Trotter steps in front of a pass from Rattler to his intended target over the middle, catching the ball and taking it back to the house for a pick six.
Conclusion
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is a well-rounded linebacker prospect who can run, hit, and cover at a high level. He is on the shorter side of things and lacks ideal length and size, which could present issues at the next level in terms of fighting through blockers. However, Trotter has shown that he can work around and through blocks as he pursues the football, having the strength to stack and shed near the LOS as well as the speed and change of direction to evade blockers and adjust to runners in space. Given his ability to drop into coverage and rush the passer, Trotter could remain the class’s top ILB prospect by the time the 2024 NFL Draft rolls around.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could need a long-term solution at ILB as Devin Bush didn’t work out and the FA route hasn’t yielded great results either. While Trotter may give some pause given his size due to Bush’s ineffectiveness, Trotter is a much more physical player who has shown he can win against blockers and could be that young, impactful player in the middle of the defense Pittsburgh hasn’t had since Ryan Shazier.
Projection: Late Day One/ Early Day Two
Games Watched: at Florida State (2022), vs Louisville (2022), vs Miami (2022)
