Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

School: Clemson

Class: Junior

Position: LB

HT: 6’0

WT: 228 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #69

Background: Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is, as you may have suspected, the son of 4x Pro Bowler Jeremiah Trotter. Trotter is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended St. Joseph’s Preparatory High School. Jeremiah was the country’s top-rated linebacker and the highest rated player in the state of Pennsylvania. Out of high school, Trotter ended up committing to Clemson over Penn State.

College: Trotter had a very limited role in his first season at Clemson. He only played 59 defensive snaps but saw most of his action on the special teams units. Along with getting acclimated to his new school, Trotter was also a member of the ACC Honor Roll. 2022 was the year that Trotter got his chance to be a full-time starter on the Tigers’ defense, and he took advantage of it. He was named an All-American and All-ACC by just about every outlet. As a sophomore, he led a stacked Clemson defense in both tackles and tackles for loss, while also being tied for the team lead in sacks with 6.5.

Strengths: Trotter has proven that he can do it all on the football field and is extremely scheme transcendent. Jeremiah Trotter is an athletic and explosive weakside linebacker. He has great length for the position. His speed and length make him a solid coverage linebacker. He can take on both tight ends and running backs consistently. Dropping back into zone coverage and shadowing certain receivers in man coverage is something Trotter will always be able to carry out. He has loose hips in coverage and is able to turn in any direction smoothly. He diagnoses different schemes well. He never hesitates in coverage and can quickly decipher whether a play is a run or a pass. As a pass rusher, he blitzes with eye-popping burst and acceleration. He jumps out of his stance quickly and generates a great amount of power despite his smaller frame. Trotter is a sure tackler and his long arms help in wrapping up the ball carrier. A ball carrier is never free from the defense when Trotter is on the field. His speed combined with an innate ability of pursuit allows him to catch players that other linebackers could not even dream of catching.

Weaknesses: While his size allows for him to move better than the average linebacker, it also takes some away from his game as well. Trotter cannot impose his will physically like some other linebackers can. While he is consistent in terms of getting his arms around a player, receivers tend to break free of his grasp.

Conclusion: Trotter will never be an elite pass rusher but he can turn into that great coverage linebacker. We have also never seen a tweener linebacker reach their full potential in the last decade despite numerous players that fit the bill, so Trotter will have to prove that he is different.

Scheme Fit: Shallow Zone

Ideal Role: Coverage LB

Best Team Fits: MIN, LAC, DAL

Player Comparison: Terrell Bernard

Player Grade: 80.1