A former Clemson defender’s dream came true in Week 4 of the NFL season – literally.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson nabbed his first career NFL interception on Sunday during his team’s eventual 24-18 victory over the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md.
Following the game, Simpson revealed to reporters that he dreamt of making an interception on Sunday, and then it actually happened.
“Crazy Friday night, I text my best friend back from home and I had a dream that I literally caught a pick,” Simpson said. “I did catch a pick in my dream, and it’s crazy how it happened.
“But man, God is good, and I’m so grateful for it. Shoutout to this team. We were able to win today, so I’m happy.”
The takeaway occurred on the Titans’ opening drive, when Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward was under heavy pressure and flung the ball forward while falling to the ground. The ball bobbled off running back Tony Pollard and was hauled in by Simpson on just the second play from scrimmage. The turnover led to a 5-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry five plays later, giving Baltimore an early 7-0 lead.
Simpson put together a highly productive defensive performance, totaling a game-high nine tackles and one pass defended to go along with the milestone interception.
Simpson is now in his fourth NFL season and fourth with the Ravens after being selected by the franchise in the third round (86th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft. Coming into Sunday’s game against the Titans, he had played in 52 career NFL games (22 starts) while tallying 169 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, five sacks, five passes defended and three fumble recoveries.
The former five-star prospect spent three seasons playing for the Tigers from 2020-22, when he was credited with 187 tackles (22.5 for loss), 12.5 sacks, six pass breakups and three forced fumbles over 37 games (27 starts)
He earned All-ACC selections from PFF (second team) and Phil Steele (third team) as a sophomore in 2021 before collecting third-team all-conference honors as a junior in 2022, when he compiled 77 tackles (four for loss), 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles over 12 games (all starts).