Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: QB, 2024 first-round pick, and more

Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: QB, 2024 first-round pick, and more

Considered by many as the top inside linebacker prospect in this year’s class, we were surprised to see Trenton Simpson out of Clemson available with the 38th overall pick, but we take advantage of the oversight of other teams by grabbing him with this selection. Simpson is an incredible athlete who is reminiscent of another Clemson Tiger in Isaiah Simmons,who was drafted 8th overall by Arizona in 2020.

Simpson has a similar build to his predecessor as he measures in at 6-3 and 240 pounds and both are speed demons with identical 40 times at 4.39 seconds. Both players lined up everywhere on the field for Clemson and both project as top-tier inside linebackers at the NFL level.

It took a few years for Simmons to find his feet in the NFL but he lays a great blueprint for the Raiders to make the most of Trenton Simpson’s talent.

The rare combination of size and speed that Simpson brings to the table allows him to excel in coverage against speedy receivers and running backs and also hold up well against tight ends or at the point of attack. He is the type of linebacker that defensive coordinators dream of having and adding him in the middle of the Raiders’ defense would make for an immediate improvement.

Bruce Feldman included Simpson on his Freaks List and had the following to say about the former Clemson superstar, “The 6-3, 240-pounder, who only has 6 percent body fat, ranked third on the team with 78 tackles and finished second in both tackles for loss (12.0) and sacks (six). Simpson bench-presses 375 pounds, power-cleaned 355, and has vertical-jumped 35 inches and done 10-2 on the broad jump”.