NFL draft: Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson selected in third round by Ravens |
Former Clemson linebacker
Trenton Simpson was selected with the 86th overall pick in the third round by the Baltimore Ravens on Friday.
He is the first-ever selection by the Ravens of a Clemson player. The former 5-star prospect was a Butkus Award semifinalist and third-team All-ACC selection last season with 77 tackles (4 for loss) with 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles over 12 games. His best Pro Football Focus grade came as a sophomore (72.3), which was boosted by a team-best 87.1 pass rush grade (34.4% pressure rate in pass rush snaps). He is credited with 187 tackles (22.5 for loss), 12.5 sacks, six pass breakups and three forced fumbles in 1,443 snaps over 37 games (27 starts) as a Tiger from 2020-22. Simpson came in with draft projections and prospect rankings as high as the top-30 overall. He was ESPN lead draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s best available prospect for several selections before getting drafted. Other Tigers on the Ravens roster include cornerback Trayvon Mullen and offensive lineman John Simpson. Trenton Simpson is a third Tiger and a third Clemson defender picked in the 2023 NFL draft, joining first-round picks Myles Murphy (No. 28 to Cincinnati) and Bryan Bresee (No. 29 to New Orleans). The Carolina Panthers are now the only current NFL franchise to not pick a Clemson player. The draft continues with rounds 4-7 on Saturday (noon on ABC/NFLN/ESPN). More Clemson players expected to be drafted include KJ Henry, Jordan McFadden and Davis Allen, with a chance also for kicker BT Potter and wide receiver Joseph Ngata. Projected rookie deal (Spotrac): $5.4 million total ($930,547 signing bonus) Clemson coaches on Simpson: HEAD COACH DABO SWINNEY: “Trenton Simpson is the freak of the draft, I mean, he’s just the guy that everybody’s probably trying to figure out like, ‘Where do you play him? What is he?’ But I know this: The guy is 230-something pounds and runs a 4.4 and he’s strong as an ox. He’s one of the best young people you’ll ever meet. Unbelievable passion for the game. Still a developing player. Like Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee, he’s an early entrant into the draft, and so they’re elite talents but they’re still in the progression of becoming what they are going to be, and Trenton is no different. He’s a guy that is still developing as a box player, but he’s elite in space. He’s elite coming off the edge. He can cover. He is a physical tackler. There’s just so much you can do with Trenton Simpson and I think his best football is in front of him. “I think of it kind of like when Tee Higgins came out, and I would put Bryan Bresee, Myles Murphy and Trenton Simpson kind of all in the same category. When the coach of the Bengals called me to ask me to ask about taking Tee with the first pick of the second round, he was like, ‘What are we getting?’ And I said you’re getting a top-15 pick with the first pick of the second round. And you look at what he’s done career-wise and I would say the same thing about Trenton. With Trenton — and Myles and Bryan — they’re great kids, they’re great workers, and their best football is in front of them. And I think regardless of where they’ve been picked, their value is higher. Trenton’s a Swiss Army knife, and it’s going to be fun to watch him mature and develop and find his way. He’s very similar to Isaiah Simmons in that he’s just got this real dynamic skill set that will translate to the next level.” DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR/LINEBACKERS COACH WES GOODWIN: “First of all, they are getting a great young man who comes to work every day with the right mindset and attitude to improve and prepare like a pro. Trenton’s work ethic is unmatched. He devotes free time to bettering himself both as a football player and personally. They are getting a worker, a guy that is going to show up every day and bring great energy and great focus in the meeting rooms and take that to the practice fields. He’s a guy that is ultra-competitive and wants to win every rep, and he’s a guy who is going to strain and give you everything he’s got.” ESPN on fit for Simpson: "Simpson is the ideal weakside linebacker in the Ravens' 4-3 scheme. He played out of position at MLB in 2022 but is at his best playing in space where he can be a playmaker. Patrick Queen currently has the will linebacker job locked down, but Simpson is simply too good of a value to pass up at this spot in the draft," ESPN's Matt Miller said. CLEMSON NOTES ON THE SELECTION OF TRENTON SIMPSON: – Simpson became the 74th player in Dabo Swinney’s head coaching tenure to be drafted into the NFL, including the eighth third-round pick of Swinney’s tenure. – Simpson became the 31st Clemson linebacker selected in the Common Draft era and the seventh Clemson linebacker selected since 2015. – Simpson became the first Clemson player selected by a Baltimore-based franchise since the Baltimore Colts selected C Tony Berryhill in the ninth round of the 1982 NFL Draft. – Simpson became the second Clemson player ever drafted with the No. 86 overall pick, joining CB Dexter Davis (1991). – Simpson was the fifth consecutive Clemson defensive player selected in an NFL Draft across the 2022-23 drafts. The five straight defensive picks have come following all five of Clemson’s 2021 draft picks coming from the offensive side of the ball. LB @TrentonSimpson_ talks about looking up to Roquan Smith and learning from him. pic.twitter.com/awmSAUDxUR ✅ 4.43 40-yard dash With our third-round pick, we’ve selected LB Trenton Simpson from Clemson! You’re going to like this pick, a lot. @Ravens x @TrentonSimpson_ pic.twitter.com/gMiHDVLhR3 Absolute scene at Trenton Simpson’s home as the @ClemsonFB linebacker finally hears his name called by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round pic.twitter.com/yT8ow4y3Ef Defensive playmaker. 😤 pic.twitter.com/odKcYHksej It’s utterly insane that Trenton Simpson fell to pick 86, but a perfect landing spot. Dude will be a star. Congrats @Ravens, you just got a DAWG 😤#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/GJN5lcz1kO
✅ 40.5-inch vertical
✅ 235 pounds
That’s the newest Baltimore Raven.@TrentonSimpson_ x @Ravens pic.twitter.com/4Rn1cwkgAZ
Welcome to Baltimore, @TrentonSimpson_! pic.twitter.com/74DTKdGpU9
This is what it’s all about. @TrentonSimpson_ x @Ravens pic.twitter.com/jaTaiRw4wy
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) April 29, 2023
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