Author: Ely Allen

One of the top draft-eligible linebackers in college football informed media yesterday that he is declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. Although he is forgoing his senior year of college, Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson has met his self-appointed goals of playing three years of college ball and earning his degree.

Simpson joined the Tigers’ 2020 recruiting class exactly three years to the date before his draft announcement, becoming one of five five-star athletes to head to Clemson that year. Simpson was considered the top recruit at his position by 247Sports, as well as the No. 12 recruit in the entire country. A standout dual-threat athlete at Mallard Creek HS in Charlotte, NC, Simpson didn’t stray too far from home, heading just across the state’s southern border for college.

Simpson made a quick impact in Death Valley appearing in 12 games as a freshman and making three starts. Simpson showed early dynamism in his first year, recording four sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss despite the limited playing time. Simpson earned a full-time starting job as a sophomore and rewarded his coaches with a breakout season. In a performance that certainly pricked the ears of every NFL scout a year early, Simpson tallied 6.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, and five quarterback hurries. Despite a muted junior season statistically amongst a position shift inside, Simpson did nothing to turn off scouts with another strong season of play. Over three years on the Clemson defense, Simpson showed his jack-of-all-trades ability with 165 total tackles, 23.0 for a loss, 13.0 sacks, 12 quarterback hurries, five passes defensed, and three forced fumbles.

Simpson is a complete linebacker. He’s aggressive and instinctive as he plays from sideline to sideline. After playing off the edge near the slot in his first two years and excelling, Clemson moved Simpson in the box for his junior year where he showed the league that his coverage abilities make him an extremely valuable asset in this year’s draft.

Simpson is not quite comparable to Cowboys star Micah Parsons, but to call him a poor man’s Parsons takes far too much away Simpson’s game. Like Parsons, Simpson has the do-everything skill set that has created some of the best linebackers in today’s game. Simpson, though, may not have the explosive play-making ability that pushed Parsons into the top 15 picks of the draft. Parsons also had the luxury of sitting out the 2020 COVID-season before being drafted, tantalizing scouts with how he may have progressed in his third year of college ball had he played. Simpson, on the other hand, used his third year to develop new experience on defense that will help him at the next level.

Views on this year’s top draft-eligible linebackers vary. When a group of four evaluators at ESPN ranked the position, Mel Kiper was the only one who did not have Simpson in the top-two alongside Arkansas’s Drew Sanders, placing Simpson at third. Everyone else had him as either first or second. A midseason ranking, provided by Dane Brugler of The Athletic, lists Simpson as the 14th-best draft prospect with Sanders trailing back at 49. A more recent ranking by Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus agreed with Brugler’s early assessment, listing Simpson as the best draft-eligible linebacker at 28 with Sanders trailing at 41. Simpson easily has a claim as the best linebacker prospect who isn’t purely a pass rush specialist.

Predicting where Simpson may end up is quite a difficult task. There are a number of teams around the league that could use a do-it-all linebacker from the Lions to the Patriots to the Commanders, all teams who have picks around the middle of the first round. With Simpson’s prospect rankings ranging from 14-28, he’s expected to be a mid- to late-first-round pick. Only time will narrow that range down. Simpson told ESPN that he “is excited to compete at the NFL combine,” claiming he has a 40-inch vertical jump and can run the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds. Strong showings at the combine and Clemson’s Pro Day may solidify his draft stock up near the middle of the first round.

Simpson, who models his game after Parsons and former Clemson star Isaiah Simmons, will hope to continue the success of some of the draft’s recent top linebackers like Jaguars rookie Devin Lloyd, Parsons, and Buccaneers star Devin White before them. After injuring his ankle in the Tigers’ ACC Championship win, Simpson will sit out of this year’s Orange Bowl and prepare for what awaits him in the leadup to this upcoming April.