The Baltimore Ravens are poised to have one the best defenses in the entire league this upcoming season and a big reason why is because they have several players at all three levels that can be deployed in a plethora of ways. One of those such players is rookie linebacker, Trenton Simpson who was selected at No. 86 overall in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
He wore several different hats and played multiple positions in college at Clemson in a recent interview on the Lounge podcast, he talked about how excited and ready he is to contribute in any way he can using his positional and schematic versatility.
“I definitely feel like I’m the guy to come in on third down and get the sacks, if you need somebody to spy the quarterback, jump and get some tips,” Simpson said.
He believes his best play comes when he is “moving full speed” no matter what his responsibility is on a given play as long as it’s “fast-physical football” and is “super comfortable in contributing in pass coverage and pass rush as a blitzer.
Simpson even went as far as to say that he feels like he can “guard any tight end” because he did it a lot in college which is likely music to the ears of defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. Given some of the lethal pass-catching threats at the position that Ravens face twice a year in their division as well as on their 2023 schedule specifically, they’ll need him to show he can put those bold words into action.
In the AFC North alone, there is David Njoku with the Cleveland Browns and both Pat Freiermuth and athletically gifted rookie Darnell Washington with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During the regular season, they’re slated to face Pro Bowlers Evan Engram and Zach Ertz as well as All-Pro George Kittle of the San Fransisco 49ers.
There’s also the possibility that future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce could get added to the formidable list if the Ravens and reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs happen to cross paths in the playoffs.
Simpson Welcomes a Return to Playing Special Teams
It’s rare for the best players in college football programs to play on the often overlooked third phase of the game outside of the offensive and defensive skill position players who are standout returners. For his first two years in college, Simpson earned his stripes for the Tigers contributing in that area while still standing out on defense.
When the team drafted him, there was an understanding that he’d be doing the same at the professional level with the Ravens and he is not only willing but is excited for the chance to play special teams again.
“I love my role on special teams,” he said. “Just being able to be versatile and play on all special teams and have an impact on the game.”
In his mind, “that rep on special teams is just as important as a rep starting on defense” and his approach to it is to have a “one-play mentality” because “every play counts” and he’s not wrong.
One missed blocking assignment on the punt protection unit could lead to a block that sets up the opposing offense in favorable field position or even lead to a score. Failure to keep lane integrity on kick or punt coverage could create a crease for an opposing returner to create a big or possibly scoring play.
“Special teams is a phase of the game just like offense and defense,” Simpson said. “I’m willing with every opportunity I get to make the most of it.”
The Ravens have a rich tradition of defenders that earned larger roles on defense after shining on special teams. Simpson could carve out a key role for himself in both phases if he proves himself in the one that is of lesser value to some teams but not in Baltimore.
Hopefully, History Can Repeat Itself With Simpson
Heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, they were all set and actually quite deep at the safety position. They still had stalwart leader Chuck Clark at the strong spot and under contract for two more years, signed veteran ballhawk Marcus Williams to be their new starter at the free spot, and had solid depth behind them with Geno Stone and veteran Tony Jefferson who both came on strong at the end of the 2021 season.
Despite all the talent they had at the position, it didn’t stop them from lunging at the opportunity to take Notre Dame star safety Kyle Hamilton when he fell into their laps at No. 14 overall. He was regarded as the best prospect at the position to declare for the draft since Derwin James in 2018 and some analysts had him rated even higher.
The dynamic defensive back wound up being arguably the best and most impactful member of the Ravens’ entire 11-man draft class. He finished with the highest overall Pro Football Focus grade by safety since 2014 after having a tremendous second half of his rookie season once he started being used in a versatile role.
Coming into this year’s draft, the Ravens had limited resources in terms of draft capital with just five picks at the beginning of the annual three-day event and off-ball linebacker was far from being one of their biggest needs.
After all, they traded for eventual First-Team All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith midway through last year and made him the highest-paid player at his position in the entire league with an average annual salary of $20 million before their season was even over.
Former 2020 first-round inside linebacker Patrick Queen was also coming off the best season of his career and could’ve been under contract through 2024 had they exercised his fifth-year option after the draft.
The team also had solid depth behind them with former third-rounder Malik Harrison and former undrafted free agents Josh Ross and Kristian Welch. Nevertheless, they still opted to stick with their ‘best player available’ model when they came on the clock for the first time on Day 2 and selected Simpson who has the potential to be their next instant impact rookie defender.
Given his size, length, athleticism, and impressive 4.43 speed, Simpson could check into the game when the team wants to run DIME sub-packages in lue of a safety if they aren’t confident in their depth at the strong spot and want to keep Hamilton in the backend.
He has also enjoyed learning from both Smith in the Queen since joining the team and intends to soak up as much knowledge as he can heading into his rookie campaign.
“Since I got here, Roquan and Patrick have definitely taken me under their wing,” Simpson said. One thing I can say with those two great linebackers in their attention to detail is very huge.”
They’ve stressed the importance of having “pre-snap alignments and reads” because they can give defenders an edge in terms of figuring out where the ball is going on a given play or if it’s run or pass.
We always say as linebackers ‘win the play before the ball even snaps have an idea of where the ball is going’,” Simpson said. “Just slowly growing and just watching the way they move, I know I can definitely learn every day.”
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Ravens Rookie Defender Believes He Can ‘Cover Any Tight End’