OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens selected Clemson inside linebacker Trenton Simpson in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft on April 28, adding a versatile, physical linebacker with their only pick on the draft’s second day.
Though the Ravens still have Patrick Queen — for now — Simpson figures to be the long-term partner alongside Roquan Smith, whom Simpson said he remembers watching and admiring when Smith played collegiately at Georgia.
Simpson (6-foot-2, 234 pounds) — the first Ravens player ever drafted from Clemson — had 72 tackles and 2.5 sacks for the Tigers this past season and was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate linebacker.
Simpson said his strength is playing “in the box,” but his versatility will be viewed as a positive for the positionless flexibility that Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald likes in his players. The Ravens project him as an inside linebacker who can also move to the outside and roam elsewhere across the defense, and DeCosta also praised his special teams ability.
General manager Eric DeCosta said Simpson was the best player on the Ravens board when they were on the clock at No. 86, and called him a “run-and-hit linebacker” who is “very, very explosive.”
Speaking with Baltimore media not long after he was selected, Simpson said he viewed himself as “the most versatile linebacker in the draft.” He said he expected to hear his name called much sooner but called Baltimore the perfect landing spot.
The selection of Simpson came after a long night of waiting for the Ravens, who watched 54 players come off the board on the second night of the draft before they were finally on the clock. The Ravens did not have a second-round pick after trading it to the Chicago Bears in the midseason deal for Smith.
DeCosta acknowledged that it was “a long day” and said their board “got wiped out” as they sat and watched. But, he said, the Ravens brain trust kept reminding themselves that their de facto second-round pick was Smith, and DeCosta said they even FaceTimed Smith at one point during the long wait.
“That was just to remind the whole room that we made a second-round pick,” head coach John Harbaugh said with a grin. “Here’s your second-round pick.”
The selection of Simpson comes with Queen, a former first-round pick, entering the final year of his rookie deal, and DeCosta must decide by next week whether to pick up Queen’s fifth-year option for 2024. DeCosta has declined to discuss Queen’s status when asked, except to say a decision would be made by the May 1 deadline.
Harbaugh and DeCosta both downplayed any potential issues with Queen in light of the selection of Simpson.
“Patrick’s good,” Harbaugh said. “The more good players we can have on our team, the more our guys should be happy.”
“We love Patrick. I love Patrick,” DeCosta said. “Patrick is in my mind one of the better Will linebackers in the league. He’s smart, works his butt off. He’s got a bright future. … He’s a Pro Bowl linebacker in the making.”
The Ravens, who finished 10-7 last year and lost in the first round of the playoffs, as of now have just three picks on the final day of the draft. Barring any trades, they will end this draft with five picks, their fewest total since 1999. They have pick No. 124 in the fourth round, No. 157 in the fifth and No. 199 in the sixth.
DeCosta said before the draft that his goal would be to acquire more picks, but thus far he has made his only two scheduled picks on turn. He said he had offers to trade back from No. 22 in the first round, but preferred wide receiver Zay Flowers over the possible options in a deal. Likewise, he had options to trade back in Round 3 but didn’t like the return being proposed.
Cornerback remains the team’s top position of need, and director of player personnel Joe Hortiz reiterated that he thinks quality cornerbacks could be found in every round of the draft. DeCosta also implied that the Ravens will continue to look to supplement that position after the draft. Free agents signed after May 1 do not count toward the formula for compensatory draft picks, so it’s possible the Ravens will sign a veteran cornerback after that date.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Clemson Athletics