IDDP Spotlight: Jeremiah Trotter Jr

Who is Jeremiah Trotter Jr?

Trotter Jr. was a four-star prospect out of Philadelphia, PA. Before joining Clemson had offers from Maryland, Temple, Baylor, and Georgia Tech.
During freshman year he only saw action in 5 games. One of those games being the Cheez-It Bowl. He walked away that season with 15 total tackles, 9 solo, and one
sack.

In his sophomore season, he took the reins playing the third most snaps on the team with 684 (70.8% of snaps). Clemson went 10-2 that year heading into an ACC
showdown versus North Carolina. Trotter showed out for that game helping his team secure the victory. He had 9 total tackles, 7 solo, and 3 sacks! The Tigers
punched their ticket into the Capital One Orange Bowl. They had a great defensive campaign all year, but the Volunteers' offense would be too much for them to
handle. In 2022 Trotter showed he will be threat averaging 6 tackles per game.

In his junior year, it took him a few weeks to get right. Four to be exact. In his first three games of the season, he averaged only 3 tackles per game. In week 4 versus
the ACC leaders Florida St, he woke up. Trotter has not looked back since. Since then, he has averaged 8 tackles per game. This season he has played 87.2%
showing his ability to stay on the field.

Pros

Trotter is a natural leader with a great IQ for the game. Maybe that is because his father is a former All-Pro NFL linebacker. I compared him to current Ravens
linebacker Patrick Queen simply because they move almost identically when tracking the ball. The difference is Trotter Jr. is faster. His speed is what he often
uses getting around the blockers to attack the ball. This speed allows him to drop back into coverage too. Trotter is one of the purest tacklers in the 2024 class. He
grapples his opponents effectively not allowing them to escape.

Cons

Trotter struggles when going head-on against blockers. He does not use his hands enough to swim around the line. He relies on his footwork and agility to do that for
him. Because of this, he is better when not on the line or right off the edge. He needs to have a slight separation to view the blocker's stance to adjust and break
around. He will need to improve this if he wants to have any amount of pressure in the pros. Most of his sacks come from him seeing the gap and then using his speed to
go unnoticed by blockers.

Potential NFL Landing Spots

I think Trotter Jr is likely a day 2 pick with the possibility of being an early 2nd round pick.

Washington Commanders

After shipping off their best pass rushers, they are in rebuild mode on defense. To me, they do not have a natural leader at the linebacker position. Jamin Davis is
serviceable. Trotter Jr could turn the entire defense around just with his leadership and athleticism.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt holding it down. Both linebackers are serviceable enough to get the job done. If given the opportunity
though I think Trotter Jr would outplay both. He is quicker and better at coverage than both. The Bengals would love to have him in the middle behind their
good defensive line.

Philadelphia Eagles

This is more of a follow in dad’s footsteps than anything. Jeremiah Trotter is a former pro-bowler of the Eagles. Although his son Trotter Jr will build his own legacy.
However, imagining Jeremiah Trotter Jr, Nakobe Dean, and Nolan Smith on the same line in the future screams ALL PRO linebacking core! I feel bad for any
opposing running backs or quarterbacks that would have to face them.

Those are my thoughts on Clemson prospect Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Do you enjoy IDP Devy content? Then be sure to check in every Tuesday for my latest IDDP
(Individual Defensive Devy Player) article. Thank you for reading. Follow me on X @ThePPRShow for more content.