Family Matters For Eagles Jeremiah Trotter, Will Shipley: "We Had Our Battles"

PHILADELPHIA – The Alabama guys had each other when DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson were drafted just 27 players apart three years ago.

The Georgia guys arrived in droves to have each other’s back with Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Kelee Ringo piling into Howie Roseman’s draft cart over two years.

Now, comes Will Shipley and Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., a pair of Clemson standouts added in last weekend’s draft.

“It’s always helpful when you go into a new stage of your life or the next stage on your journey if you have people around you that you’re comfortable with, or even if it’s just an area that you’re comfortable with,” said Trotter. “That helps you just be free. You know, just be more comfortable in your environment and just feel like you’re at home.”

Trotter is home, growing up about a half hour from the Eagles’ home at Lincoln Financial Field. He even said he’d probably move back in with his dad, a former Eagles standout who shares the same name as his son.

Will Shipley meets reporters during Philadelphia Eagles during the team’s rookie minicamp Ed Kracz/Eagles Today

Shipley has family in the area, too, at least until the University of Pennsylvania’s graduating class walks down the aisle to collect its diplomas later this spring. James Shipley is a lacrosse player at Penn.

Will said he and his big bro are tight, and because of him, has made about a dozen trips to Philly to watch him play. Growing up the two were competitive.

“We got after it, probably until we both parted ways for college,” he said. “We’re really, really close. I’d hang out with him and his friends and we’d always s be playing sports.”

Shipley said he and Trotter got after it pretty well at Clemson practices, as you would expect a running back and linebacker to do.

“Iron sharpens iron,” said Shipley. “That’s exactly what it is. We both knew what we wanted to do as freshmen at Clemson. That’s get on the field, play, compete for a national championship, and just go be our best.

“With that, with him being a linebacker and me a running back, we butted heads a lot. We got after it in practice. And we just always competed. So, to have him here, it’s great to have a friend, someone I’m familiar with. But also someone who’s going to push me every single day, and make me better. I’m going to do the same for him.”

Added Trotter: We had our battles and made each other better. Something at Clemson that we say is iron sharpens iron. So, we always go back and forth trying to make each other better.

“Whether it’s one-on-ones in what we call like skills and drills, doing one-on-ones against each other. If he beats me on a rep, he’ll be like, ‘Hey, if you do this next time, that’ll help you.’ If I get him on a rep I’d be like, ‘Hey, maybe you should do this.’ Just try to share ideas back and forth and try to make each other better.”