Trenton Simpson will hear his name called at some point in April’s NFL Draft, and one draft analyst believes it could be as soon as the first day.
“I would not be shocked at all if he went in the first round,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said.
Jeremiah, a former NFL scout, doesn’t have the former Clemson linebacker being selected within the first 31 picks in his latest mock draft, but he understands the allure of his talent given Simpson’s versatile skill set. Simpson played both the sam/nickel and weakside ‘backer positions during his three seasons with the Tigers, who often used him as an edge rusher and blitzer as arguably their most athletic defender at the second level.
Simpson recorded 22.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks during his time at Clemson. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder had 12 tackles for loss and six sacks, both career highs, as a sophomore at his outside ‘backer spot. After moving inside this past season, those numbers dropped (four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks), but Simpson racked up a career-high 72 tackles en route to third-team all-ACC honors.
Jeremiah said the biggest question teams have regarding Simpson at the next level is his ability to quickly diagnose plays and react.
“With him, it’s just how well do you see things?” Jeremiah said. “Sometimes if you get clear sight lines, he can see it. He can go. You’ll see that burst. He’s off the edge. He can blitz. You’ll see him chase plays laterally. Tremendous, tremendous juice. It’s just sometimes, in the trash in there, he kind of gets lost a little bit amid all those bodies. That’s the only knock on him.”
Speed and sheer athleticism, though, may be Simpson’s biggest assets. In fact, Jeremiah said he expects Simpson to be one of the better testers among the linebackers participating in the NFL scouting combine, which begins Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Simpson, one of eight former Clemson players that have been invited, is set to go through on-field positions drills Thursday.
“I was told he’s going to put on a show,” Jeremiah said. “He’s probably going to run in the 4.4s (in the 40-yard dash). He’s going to jump out of the gym. I think he’ll put on a Devin White type of workout show.”
Jeremiah has Simpson ranked as his 30th-best draft prospect, which is higher than some other draftniks. ESPN ranks Simpson as the draft’s No. 40 prospect while CBS Sports has him pegged as the 46th-best player. Both have him rated as the No. 2 inside linebacker prospect.
The combine is the first chance for Simpson to work out in front of NFL personnel to try to improve his stock. He’s also expected to take part in Clemson’s pro day next month in preparation for the three-day draft, which will begin with the first round April 28.
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