Trenton Simpson (LB) – Clemson/JR
6’2” / 235.0 lbs. (Official)
2022 Stats: 12 Games, 41 solo tackles, 31 assisted tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 5 passes defended, 2 fumble recovery
{Reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/bryan-bresee-1.html}
Awards: Third team All-ACC 2022
Measurables: Vertical – 40.5”, Broad – 910, 40-yard – 4.43, 3-cone – 7.06, RAS: 9.83
Games Watched: [Dennis] 2022 vs. Wake Forest 2022, 2022 vs. North Carolina. [Coach] 2022 Vs. Wake Forest, 2022 Vs. NC State
PRO’S
[Dennis] Simpson has elite speed. Can make a play anywhere on the field. When on the edge he is athletic enough to have a bend to his moves and get past the linemen. Has the skills to flip his hips and change direction easily. With his size he has the ability to play in coverage without being a liability. Is a tackling freak and very rarely misses tackles. Tackles like his life depends on it, with accuracy and violence.
[Coach] Simpson is a freak athlete. At Clemson, Simpson showed off his versatility from dropping in coverage to manning the middle of the defense as a run stuffer. Runs with tight ends up the seam with ease, doesn’t get lost in coverage and knows when he can afford to locate the football and when he has to react to the receiver to make a play on the ball. Does a good job of holding his ground when he’s an outside in defender.
CON’S
[Dennis] Simpson is seen as a tweener — could play inside or outside linebacker or box safety, much like fellow Clemson alum Isaiah Simmons. Focuses on his speed to get by players instead of actually learning techniques. Struggles to fight off lineman due to slight frame and a lack of knowledge on how to use his hands. Will need to work on his knowledge of route trees to better play man defense.
[Coach] Can get over aggressive and lunge with head down at the ball carrier when he has a clean shot at him. In coverage, Simpson gets handsy at times on hard braking routes, Simpson needs to rely on his athleticism more and panic less. Not afraid of contact which hurts him at times, out matched against bigger offensive linemen and should be avoiding more often than trying to run through, needs to work on shedding the block.
OVERALL
[Dennis] If a team can figure out where Simpson is meant to play, they will have one heck of a player on their hands. It really comes down to where Simmons wants to play. He can either put on a little bit of weight and focus on playing linebacker, or he stays where he’s at and runs a 4.4 forty and is put in the tweener outside linebacker/Safety role, and will need to focus on improving his coverage skills. In my opinion he’s a top 10 pick off of athletic prowess alone, but once he puts it all together and realizes where he wants to play he may just be one of the biggest steals of this year’s draft.
[Coach] Trenton Simpson is like Roy Kent (Ted Lasso), “he’s here, he’s there, he’s every f*ck*ng where!”. Simpson is an athletic weapon who if given freedom at the next level could be a lot of fun to watch. If Simpson goes to a team in which they have some big bodied interior defensive linemen that can keep Trenton clean, he will be able to show off his athleticism and versatility and cover a lot of ground for his defense.
Completed by: @Dnow_T2T, 02/14/23
Added to: @coachschepps, 03/29/23
Reviewed & edited: J. Clark (02/14/23, 03/29/23)
