Range: Simpson displays incredible athleticism for the linebacker position which allows him to work from sideline to sideline. Taking snaps as a slot defender and at safety, he can flow to the football from either alignment.
Processing Speed: Simpson has great processing speed and his quick-twitch athleticism allows him to force pressure on the ball. He can consistently put his eyes in the right place and make quick decisions on run concepts as well as close on the football in pass coverage.
Coverage Ability: Clemson schemed him up in the slot to cover receivers and his high athletic profile allowed him to play in a lot of man-to-man situations. He tends to drop a bit too deep into his zone shells which can leave him out of position when the ball comes his way. Despite this, when he’s in the face of receivers, his length and physicality allow him to astutely disrupt passes.
Motor/Effort: Incredible effort in every phase of the game. He can steamroll through ball carriers with physicality and is itching to make contact with them when he’s around the football. Simpson more than checks the box with this trait.
Tackling: Simpson displays consistent tackling technique and can back that up with toughness. He shows enough length and strength to take down defenders but will sometimes struggle to perfectly set up tackles in space. He needs to clean up his angles when working in the air but his range and athleticism should make this an easy fix.
Block Shedding: Overall, Simpson has shown some impressive block deconstruction on his film. While not incredibly strong, Simpson can consistently play with great pad level and extension that allows him to control his opponents at the point of attack. His quick-twitch athleticism gives him a distinct advantage when the need to toss opponents arises. I feel comfortable with him operating around the line of scrimmage and being able to fight through trash.
Blitzing/Pass Rush: Simpson was relatively productive for the Tigers but wasn’t involved on any sacks in the games I watched with the exception of the Pittsburgh. He has enough speed and athleticism to win in one-one matchups with running backs, however, you’d also feel comfortable incorporating him into the stunt twist game.
Run Defense: Simpson is a versatile chess piece for the Tigers but does some of his best work from his SAM linebacker spot. Again, his athletic traits allow him to make quick movements against his opponents, especially after he engages with opponents and needs to disengage. He has quick eyes when diagnosing plays but can sometimes get too overzealous when playing from the stack and put himself out of position.
Toughness/Power @ POA: Simpson has displayed consistent toughness and power behind his tackles despite lacking elite strength or body mass for the position. He’s not a bruiser, yet he shows plenty of physicality behind his hits that can make him a tone-setter around the line of scrimmage and in the box.
Versatility: Arguably Simpson’s best trait as a football player. His athletic has allowed the Clemson defensive staff to place him around different parts of the field such as SAM linebacker in base and in stack looks. He’s heavily utilized as a man coverage defender from the slot and has even seen backend Cover 2 looks.