CLEMSON, S.C. — For the first time ever, Baltimore has drafted a player from Clemson.
Linebacker Trenton Simpson is that inaugural Clemson player who received the first ever draft day phone call from the Baltimore brass.
Simpson became Clemson’s third pick of the 2023 NFL Draft after the Ravens took Simpson in the third round (No. 86 overall) on Friday.
With the selections of Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee in the first round, Clemson produced three Top 100 selections in a draft for the sixth time in the last eight years.
Simpson was an All-ACC performer and a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy.
“The guy is 230-something pounds and runs a 4.4 and he's strong as an ox,” Head Coach Dabo Swinney said. “And he's one of the best young people you'll ever meet.”
Simpson became the first Clemson player selected by the Ravens since the franchise’s inception in 1996. His selection leaves the Carolina Panthers as the only active NFL franchise never to draft a Clemson player. The Ravens also became the 28th NFL franchise to select at least one Clemson player during Swinney’s head coaching tenure.
