Clemson LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. offers hope to hometown Eagles

Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Former Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. thought he would go sooner than the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft but you won’t hear him, his legendary father or the Eagles front office complaining.

Trotter came into the draft with a third-round grade and Philadelphia entered the draft without a third-round pick. Some had the team using the second of its second-round picks to select the standout linebacker but nobody could have predicted he would last until the fifth round.

Trotter’s father was a third-round pick for Philadelphia in 1998 and is a member of the Eagles Hall of Fame. He led the team in tackles for three straight seasons with a pair of Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro nomination in 2000. For his part, Trotter Jr. posted 192 tackles, 13 sacks, four interceptions and three forced fumbles in three years with the Tigers while earning first-team All-ACC honors in 2023.

Pro Football Focus gives Trotter low scores for pass coverage and lower marks for stopping the run but don’t tell the Eagles faithful that the son of a franchise legend can’t rectify what’s become a trouble spot for the team’s defense.

Less than a year removed from representing the NFC in Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles defense performed horribly down the stretch in 2023. The linebackers looked especially over-matched as the team lost six of their last seven games, including a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round

Linebackers Zach Cunningham and Nicholas Morrow led the Eagles in tackles last season but neither will be with the squad next season. While Trotter alone won’t change the Philadelphia’s fortunes, he could light a fire under Nakobe Dean, the team’s third-round pick in 2022.

Playing his collegiate ball at Georgia, Dean won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 2021 but injuries and uninspired play have limited him to 22 games and four starts since joining the Eagles.

Trotter was less celebrated in college but let him celebrate a few quarterback sacks with his father’s signature “wood-chopping” motion and he could find a home at the left inside linebacker spot.

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