2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Clemson LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day Three selections and priority undrafted free agents Today, a scouting report on Clemson LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

#54 JEREMIAH TROTTER JR., LB, CLEMSON (JUNIOR) – 6000, 228 pounds

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

— Good 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
— Misses his fair share of tackles in space
— Can do a better job flattening the corner to the ball when coming downhill
— Can improve angles of pursuit to the football

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)
— Started 12 games as a junior and had 88 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions (including one he returned 28 yards for a touchdown) in 676 snaps
— First-team All-American (2023), first-team All-ACC (2023) 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 inside linebacker 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 and backed it up with another strong season in 2023, posting 88 total stops, 15.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions with one returned for a score.  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 ball carriers at the place of contact. Watch these clips against Florida State where we see Trotter open up and run in the first clip, going through a would-be blocker to chase down the screen pass to the sideline and blow up the pass catcher on contact. In the second clip, watch Trotter work downhill against the run, working through the block by the right guard to get into the gap and make the tackle as he rallies to the football.

With 12 sacks in his last two seasons, Trotter has proven to be an effective blitzer from the off-ball linebacker position. Watch this rep here against Florida State where Trotter loops around the right guard and finds the space between the right guard and right tackle in his pursuit of the quarterback. He quickly wraps up the quarterback in the pocket and swings him down for the sack and the big celebration to follow.

Trotter has proven to be opportunistic when it comes for going for the football, understanding how to go for the punch and attempting to knock the ball out once he has the ball carrier wrapped up. Watch this play against Duke where Trotter wraps up the runner and then proceeds to strip the ball from his grasp, getting the ball on the ground which his teammate scoops up for the fumble recovery on the turnover.

Trotter not only plays well near the line of scrimmage as a run defender and blitzer, but he also is a capable pass coverage defender, having a good feel for zone coverage and the instincts to read the quarterback’s eyes as he goes through his progressions.

Watch this clip where Trotter sits back in zone coverage and sees QB Sam Hartman of Notre Dame try to go to the out route on the right side. Trotter undercuts the route and picks off the pass, taking it back 28 yards to the house on the interception return touchdown.

When it comes to negatives on Trotter, he does come in undersized at the position as he is listed at 6-foot-0, 230 pounds, but will likely measure in a tad shorter than that at the Combine. This lack of ideal height, size, and length can make it difficult for Trotter to consistently take on and fight off blocks against the run as well as a pass rusher, getting engulfed by bigger offensive linemen who get into his frame with their long arms and sheer size advantage.

Watch this play against Duke where the offensive line tosses overwhelms Trotter on his pass rush, having him nearly fall to the ground as the quarterback proceeds to scramble for first down yardage.

Trotter also can improve as a tackler regarding his ability to finish taking the defender to the ground as well as his angles of pursuit to the football, being in proper position to make the tackle. Watch this first clip against Duke where Trotter misjudges his angle to the ball and slightly overruns the ball carrier, resulting in a missed diving tackle attempt.

In the second clip, watch Trotter miss two tackle attempts against Florida State with the first clip showing him being unable to flatten around the corner to the ball carrier in the backfield while the second shows another missed diving tackle attempt on the screen pass.

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. He will have to prove that these physical limitations won’t hinder him at the next level as he faces bigger, stronger, and faster competition as well as clean up his tackling to be more of a sure player in that facet of his game to become a full-time starter and display his playmaking abilities as a sideline-to-sideline defender that can also blitz and drop into coverage effectively.

When coming up with a pro comparison for Trotter, Eagles LB Nakobe Dean stood out as a viable name, being a former college star himself who shined at Georgia during his run with the Dawgs. Dean, much like Trotter, is on the shorter side and lacks ideal playing weight (although Trotter has a thicker build). Dean also was a do-it-all player in college, showing great pursuit of the football as well as a knack for getting home on the blitz. He also was a capable coverage defender, having a feel for zone coverages and the instincts to jump routes for pass breakups or interceptions.

The Pittsburgh Steelers could use long-term solution at inside linebacker as the Devin Bush experiment didn’t work out and their free agents all dealt with injuries to varying degrees this season. While Trotter may give some pause given his size due to Bush’s ineffectiveness as an undersized linebacker, Trotter is a much more physical player who has shown he can win against blockers and could be that young, impactful player Pittsburgh injects into the middle of their defense to compliment the veterans as they continue to upgrade their front seven.

Projection: Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 8.3 – Future Quality Starter (Second Round)
Games Watched: vs Florida State (2023), at Duke (2023), vs Notre Dame), at Florida State (2022), vs Louisville (2022), vs Miami (2022)