Was Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Forced to Play Football?

That’s how it looked studying Clemson middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. playing in these five games from 2022.

It was painful watching him play.

Here is this supposed first-round prospect according to over 50% of draft platforms, and instead I see someone who often looked tentative, lethargic, and like he wanted to be anywhere but out on the football field.

I remember watching his dad, Jeremiah Trotter Sr. playing for the Eagles. I couldn’t help to wonder watching his son play at Clemson, if he was pushed into playing the sport.

That’s how it looked – – the younger Trotter’s heart wasn’t in it.

First impression

From the word go, I wasn’t feeling it or seeing it with Trotter against North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game. That was the first of these five games.

On this “blitz attempt,” he looked tighter than the screw in my kitchen table trying to change direction in the pocket. Little did I know, this would be one of his better efforts.

First impressions are huge, and in Trotter’s case, it only got worse as the game film kept playing. Against FSU, Wake Forest, NC State, and Boston College coaches were subbing in replacements at times.

Against the run

It was so bad most of the time, Clemson might as well played with 10 men on the field.

Trotter often was waiting for the action to reach his depth (where he lined up pre-snap) before getting involved or he was seen trying to make a tackle from the side after getting out of the way. He was easily handled and did a poor job using his hands to shed blocks. Sure, he made a couple of garbage tackles here and there, but overall he is a middle linebacker who mostly can be counted on to end up by the pile after his teammates do the job.

“Blitzing”

In today’s pass-happy NFL where 29/32 teams passed the ball more than they ran it last season, a linebacker (especially a first-round linebacker) has to be able to make an impact blitzing.

I get the 6.5 sacks in 2022, but overall Trotter’s blitzing attempts appeared half-speed at best. I barely had room in the negative column of my notes to write any more subpar remarks.

Trotter is soft as tissue paper at the point of attack against offensive linemen on blitzes.

The only time he made an impact was when he had a clear straight-line shot unblocked, and even then he couldn’t always get there by the time the quarterback threw the ball.

Where do we go from here?

Sure, he has some natural “raw traits” he flashes that he will put on display at the NFL Scouting Combine and his pro day to try to “entice teams,” but if I was making the selections, I couldn’t bring myself to draft Trotter based on what I watched.

Play like this sucks the energy right out of the game film.

#54 Jeremiah Trotter Jr. 6-foot-0, 230 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Summer 2023 Grade: Seventh-Round (I wouldn’t select him)

Projected by 68.1 % of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of September 3, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Game film reviewed (2022): North Carolina, FSU, Wake Forest, NC State, and Boston College (click to view games watched to form this evaluation).

2022 stats: 89 tackles (49 solo), 40 assists, 5 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, and 2 interceptions

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Reluctant prospect with turns it on once in a great while and his best value is in pass coverage. Opportunistic and looks for the path of least resistance. Flashed short area speed. Seen going out of his way to get out of the way and saw him running completely away from inside runs a few times in his area of responsibility. Poor shed ability against blockers and he’s an inconsistent tackler. The key is keeping him clean to have a chance on blitzes. Struggles to beat any kind of blocks from linemen or backs. Best dropping into short zones where he often arrived after the fact. Disinterested liability on the field.

What to watch for during the 2023 college football season

1. Does he look like he cares?

2. How does he look against blocks (blitzing and vs. run)

3. Using hands to shed?

4. How does he look in coverage?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, contributes at Yardbarker, and has written for Sports Illustrated Lions, Jets, and 49ers, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.