Trotter Jr. grateful to continue family legacy, reunite with Shipley in Philadelphia

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is headed back to where his dad was a star linebacker and he was a 5-star linebacker.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Sun Apr 28 07:00:02 GMT-04:00 2024

Like father, like son.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was drafted on Saturday by the Philadelphia Eagles, the team where his father Jeremiah played for eight seasons.

“It was a great moment, something that I worked to try to be at and try to accomplish. I’m sincerely grateful,” Trotter Jr. said. “I thank God, and I thank the Eagles organization for giving me that chance and having the opportunity, and I’m just ready to get to work now.”

His father left quite the legacy in Philadelphia, going to the Pro Bowl four times, being selected as a first-team All-Pro in 2000 and second-team All-Pro in 2001. During his time with the Eagles, he had 11 sacks and 565 solo tackles. Going into the same team, Trotter Jr. is very familiar with the Eagles fan base and incredibly grateful to the Eagles for giving him this chance.

“I know the type of legacy he left with this organization and the fans, just how they treat him and the coaches that he’s played for and players he’s played for with the Eagles, and it definitely means a lot to come in and continue that legacy and try to help out the team in any way I possibly can,” Trotter Jr. said. “I’m a hometown kid, and (the) Eagles were always my favorite team growing up. So, it’s definitely great to be able to play for them and have the opportunity that I have.”

His father was drafted in the third round by the Eagles in 1998. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, it was projected that Trotter Jr. would also be selected in the third round. In fact, they gave him a 15.1 percent chance of getting drafted in the first round. That is part of why it was such a surprise when he fell all the way to the fifth round, which most likely contributed to the Eagles’ decision to trade up for him. Despite getting drafted much later than anticipated, Trotter Jr. is thankful to be going to the Eagles and have this chance to prove what he is capable of.

“You never know what’s going to happen when it comes to the draft,” Trotter Jr. said. “But, I kept my faith in God that I always going to end up right where I need to be and right where He wanted me, and I feel like that it worked out, and I’m grateful to have this opportunity, and at the end of the day, you always got to prove yourself no matter what round you go in and I’m just ready to get to work and try to help out the team however I need to and whatever way the coaches feel like I can and need to, so I’m ready to get to work.”

Another added bonus of going to the Philadelphia Eagles is that former Tiger running back Will Shipley was selected by the Eagles in the fourth round, allowing Trotter Jr. to reunite with his Clemson teammate.

“If you want to think of somebody that’s committed to his craft and just being a great person, a picture of Will Shipley would come up. He’s a great teammate, a great person. He’s a man of God. He’s very strong in his faith, and just overall, he’s a very hard worker and wants to be the best he can be, and he’s a team guy. So, he’s very passionate about the guy. I could go on and on about Will Shipley,” Trotter Jr. said. “But, the Eagles definitely got a really great player with him and I’m glad to be reunited in Philadelphia to be able to continue to be teammates.”