Eagles trade up to draft legacy pick at No. 155

The Eagles have swapped places with the Colts in the fifth round. Philadelphia has acquired No. 155 from Indianapolis, sending Nos. 164 and 201 in exchange.

With that newly added selection, the Eagles have drafted Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Trotter’s father was selected by Philadelphia in 1998, and he spent eight years with the team. Trotter Sr. earned four Pro Bowl invites and a pair of All-Pro nods during his tenure there, and his son will aim to likewise have a succesful time with the Eagles.

Trotter spent his three-year college career at Clemson, serving as a starter over the past two seasons. As a sophomore, he filled the stat sheet with 92 tackles (including 13.5 for loss), 6.5 sacks, eight pass deflections and a pair of interceptions. Those totals earned him several accolades, including a place on the All-American second team.

In 2023, Trotter’s output remained similar to the previous campaign's, and he earned first-team All-ACC honors. As a 21-year-old junior, his age and production likely give him some of the highest upsides amongst linebackers in the 2024 class. He can compete for playing time as at least a depth contributor and special teams mainstay in Philadelphia.

The Eagles have made many changes at the linebacker spot this offseason, bringing in Devin White and Zack Baun. 2022 third-rounder Nakobe Dean is also in line to assume a larger workload this year. Trotter will thus have plenty of competition for defensive snaps as a rookie, but he is now positioned to attempt to follow in his father’s footsteps at the NFL level.