Simpson shines at Clemson's Pro Day

Trenton Simpson had plenty to smile about from Tuesday's pro day.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Mar 14 13:43:46 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Compared to some of the pro days in the past, Tuesday’s chance for Clemson players to work out in front of NFL personnel was a little understated. That didn’t stop Trenton Simpson from showing out.

All 32 NFL franchises and some CFL teams were represented at the Pro Day, which was held in the Poe Indoor Facility. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was the only head coach in attendance, but former Clemson defensive ends coach Marion Hobby (now with the Cincinnati Bengals) led into the building, along with Tomlin, by head coach Dabo Swinney.

Swinney showed Hobby and Tomlin and a few other Steelers personnel (defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, VP of Player Personnel Dan Rooney, Jr., Director of College Scouting Dan Colbert, GM Omar Khan, and special teams coordinator Danny Smith) the new Smart Media Center and the Clemson Athletic Branding Institute before taking the group to the field for the workouts.

In total, 14 Tigers were in attendance: Davis Allen, Bryan Bresee, Jesiah Carlton, K.J. Henry, Hunter Johnson, Keith Maguire, Jordan McFadden, Myles Murphy, Joseph Ngata, BT Potter, Luke Price, Jabriel Robinson, Elijah Rodgers, and Trenton Simpson.

Murphy, who did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine, didn’t work out Tuesday either due to injury (hamstring). He is slated to hold a workout for scouts on April 4.

However, it was Simpson that stole the show with clean drills and a personal record of 40.5 inches in the vertical jump.

“I came into today wanting to show my field work. To show that I can flip my hips and catch the ball,” Simpson said. “I was pleased with my vertical and the cone drill and everything went really well. I had a 40.5 (inches) on my vertical (jump). I don't know the numbers on my cone drill but I am confident in those. They were very precise and well-executed for sure.”

Simpson took a phone call before he started his workout, and that phone call was one last message of support from his parents. Simpson smiled when recounting how today is his father’s birthday and how he feels like his life plans are finally coming together.

“I feel like this is a blessing. This is what I've worked for my whole life and I feel like my work has paid off,” Simpson said. “I've been working at this since I was six-years old. For this part of my life to come together and start meeting with these teams, and them just explaining what I can bring to their teams and their locker room, it feels good to see how teams appreciate my versatility and my personality.”