April 27, 2024
Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Sports
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. will write his own story with the Eagles.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. knows what it means to play in Philadelphia. He grew up around it after all.
And he knows full well about the weight his name carries among Eagles fans, from the legacy that his father, Jeremiah Trotter Sr., built as the "Axe Man" of those hard-hitting Jim Johnson defenses of the 2000s.
But he also knows that whatever happens next will be all his own.
Trotter, who the Eagles moved up to select at 155th overall in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday over in Detroit, will be staying home to play for the very same organization and city that his father grew beloved in from an accomplished career years prior.
But he told the media shortly after his selection that he isn't feeling the pressure to live up to that. This is his story now.
"Honestly, for me, I didn't feel like there was any pressure," Trotter said. "My dad would always talk to me and say 'There ain't no pressure, you're your own player, your own man. You have your own journey.'"
"We're different as far as how we play the game, and I just gotta go out there and be me. Use the tools that God blessed me with, and try, to the best of my ability, try to be the best player I can be as an individual. So I don't feel like there's any pressure to live up to his legacy or anything. I don't feel like there's a weight on my back. I'm just trying to get to work and just be the best I can be. "
He'll still take the No. 54 jersey if it's being offered though.
"I definitely will ask them if I can wear that," Trotter quipped in response to his interest in the number. "Hopefully, they'll give it to me. I'd really appreciate it."
Welcome home 🦅@JTrotter_54 | @TrotterJr54 pic.twitter.com/wmJxhhrkwV
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 27, 2024
Trotter, a St. Joe's Prep and Clemson product, developed into a force at linebacker within the Tigers' defense.
He said he's not his father when it comes to playstyle, he knows that much. Trotter Sr. was a bigger linebacker who ran downhill and barreled through linemen to get into the offensive backfield. Trotter Jr., meanwhile, described himself more as a mobile, sideline-to-sideline type of tackler who is better suited for the position in today's game.
But if you go to the film, he can definitely crash through a gap and get to the quarterback, too.
During the 2023 collegiate season, the 21-year old made 5.5 sacks, 88 tackles (54 solo), and caught two interceptions.
The knocks on him are that he lacks size for his position – Trotter is listed at 6'0" and around 230 pounds – and typical athleticism. However, the instincts, vision of the field, drive, and will to improve, those are all there, the Eagles believe.
"It's gotta be skillset," general manager Howie Roseman told the media on Saturday of Trotter and the organization's overall approach to drafting. "He's got a skillset, and that's why we drafted him. He's got mentality, that's why we drafted him. And we're looking forward to him being his own person, not having to walk in anyone's footsteps, but creating his own legacy."
And the pen has yet to even hit the page.
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