(02-28-2024, 07:50 PM)jaglou53 Wrote:

(02-28-2024, 05:24 PM)ClemsonOrangeJaguar Wrote: I like Trotter a lot, I would take him in a heartbeat. As you would expect given his pedigree his instincts are top tier - as good as I've seen from a Clemson LB since Anthony Simmons (not to be confused with other 1st round LB Isaiah Simmons.) He's tough as hell, physical and is just seemingly always around the ball making plays. Hard tackler. What I don't see draft experts mentioning much that they should more is that he's an exceptional blitzer - 12 sacks over last two years. I would be interested to see his pressure numbers as I bet they are some of the best in the country last two seasons for a MLB. He is gonna disappoint at the Combine from a size and speed perspective and it does cap his ceiling. He started year slow as he dealt with a hamstring injury which caused him to miss all of Fall camp but came back on strong when healthy. I have a really hard time not seeing him as a good NFL linebacker because of the positive traits he does have (instincts, toughness, playmaker, blitzing, fundamentals) he is elite in.  

From what I've seen on Shipley watching him the last 3 years I'll say the best things he does are he runs really hard and has really nice acceleration hitting the hole. He's a threat out of the backfield and surprisingly has a nice hurdle move. Also has solid size. He's more of a slasher like Etienne where goes 100 miles per hour and gets from A to B really fast. I don't think he has great vision and while he runs really hard he doesn't break many tackles. He also needs to get more patient and set up his blockers better. Though to be fair he's played behind a terrible OL the last 3 years at Clemson. I think he'll surprise people with his 40 time and he should look good running routes and catching the ball this week. I bet he'll be in the NFL for awhile but I don't see enough to believe he's a NFL starter IMO 

From a Clemson perspective I'm banging the table for Nate Wiggins, Trotter, and Ruke. Tyler Davis, Xavier Thomas, and Shipley are nice players but I'm not sold on them like other 3. The player I would watch out for next cycle is LB Barrett Carter. I believe he'll be one of the best defenders to come out of Clemson over last decade based on what I've seen from him

I know you are very high on Wiggins and have seen him play a lot as a Clemson fan. His speed and athleticism definitely are impressive. I've seen that he is a huge trash talker, which isn't a problem for a cornerback if they can back it up. Has anything come up regarding character concerns? I just don't want a head case like Henderson or a "me first" guy like Ramsay. He could be a great pick if the intangibles check out. What are your observations on this?

He self admittedly came in to Clemson immature. He has lost a couple starts due to missing classes. You would like to see the commitment in guys to finish out. Deandre Hopkins did the same when he knew he was going pro his JR season, and now he's finishing his degree a decade later online classes at Clemson. I would categorize his immaturity as being late to meetings/missing classes/film room based on what I've seen. You see guys coming into Clemson every year at with different levels of maturity and it's easy to forget they all come from different backgrounds in terms of support structure/work ethic. I don't think he's flamboyant, which is how I would categorize Ramsey and Deion Sanders. He's not a guy that will start drama on Twitter or in interviews trying to be the center of attention. He talks a lot of trash every play, to the point he's close to drawing flags if he's hyped up. That turns some people off but for me it's one of the reasons I think he'll succeed as he's tough, competitive and unafraid to mix it up. 

Dabo praised his maturity improvement and says he's a good hearted and respectful kid and said he bought in to full commitment after FR year which also why he improved as a player. Here's a quote from his SO year on it. 

“But he’s a great player and he’s just really matured, he’s gotten more focused, he’s gotten more detailed as the year has gone on and I’m really proud of him. He’s a very very talented young man, he’s a guy that early on just a little rough around the edges, a little immature when it comes to really doing what you need to do programmatically and he’s just come full circle, he really has,” Swinney explained. “The players love him, he’s a great teammate, he really loves to play, he loves football and I love that about him, it’s important to him but I love how he’s grown from a detail standpoint.”

---