With Trenton Simpson among the players still available midway through the third round of the NFL Draft, that made things simple for the Baltimore Ravens.

“It was an easy pick for us to make,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta told local media in Baltimore.

There were a couple of reasons why.

First, the number of available players the Ravens had a third-round grade on was quickly dwindling. DeCosta said that list included roughly eight names at the start of the round.

“And by the end, we had one,” he said.

That was the former Clemson linebacker, whom the Ravens snatched up with the 86th overall selection. Simpson is the first Clemson player ever drafted by the organization.

“When you put the film on, you watch him go from sideline to sideline,” said Joe Hortiz, the Ravens’ director of player personnel. “He can close ground very quickly in pursuit. He’s very active on film. And then his character is off the charts. There at Clemson, they rave about him. We get a lot of information from them about their players. He comes from a great program and a great place.

“You put everything together, and it feels like a good pick.”

A two-year starter at Clemson, Simpson was widely projected to be taken within the first two rounds. But he seemingly slipped because of where his long-term fit is in an NFL scheme. Simpson spent his first two seasons with the Tigers playing outside linebacker and even some nickel before making the move to the inside ‘backer position as a junior, using his speed and athleticism to post a career-high in tackles (72) this past season and finish his college career with 164 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.

“He’s a guy that’s still developing as a box player,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said in a statement, “but he’s elite in space. He’s elite coming off the edge.”

That versatility is another reason why the Ravens weren’t interested in letting Simpson get past them in the third round. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the team plans to start Simpson on the inside, but the 6-foot-3, 234-pounder could also line up on the edge in the Ravens’ 3-4 scheme. 

He will also be an immediate contributor on special teams at the next level, which DeCosta said was another appealing trait to Simpson’s game.

“He’s a run-and-hit linebacker,” Harbaugh said. “He can play really across the board. He can play from the slot all the way back across to the Will, and he can play on the edge of the line. That’s kind of nice.

“He’s fast. He’s a straight-line, cover-ground type of guy. He can actually rush. I think when we blitz, he’s going to help us. And then special teams, he’s going to definitely be part of that.”

Ultimately, DeCosta said the Ravens took the best player they believed was available when making the selection.

“We were very excited to get Trenton,” DeCosta said. “He’s going to help us in a lot of different ways. We see him as a four-down linebacker eventually. Tremendous potential and upside. He’s a great kid.”

Dear Old Clemson has added the Tiger Sack Pack to our online store.  Save by getting the Two Pack of signed cards from two of the nation’s top defensive ends, Myles Murphy and Xavier Thomas.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. 

Dear Old Clemson is doing NIL the ‘Clemson way’, but we need your help to make sure we build a sustainable, repeatable model that will help keep Clemson competitive with the other top programs around the nation.

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