Jeremiah Trotter Jr. gets a chance to create his own legacy with the Eagles: ‘My dad shed some tears’

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. sat in his dad’s truck outside of the locker room at West Virginia, where his brother, Josiah, had just competed in his spring game, and pulled up the draft broadcast on his cellphone. The former St. Joseph’s Prep standout and Clemson linebacker was still waiting to hear his draft fate on Saturday when his phone rang.

A Pennsylvania phone number flashed across the screen. Trotter said he immediately knew who was giving him a call.

The Eagles — the same team that 26 years earlier drafted his father, linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Sr. — were on the other line. General manager Howie Roseman informed the younger Trotter that they were trading up to take him with the 155th overall pick in the fourth round of the draft. He rejoiced with his family members in the truck, grateful for the opportunity to join the team that he rooted for as a child.

“My dad shed some tears,” Trotter Jr. said. “My uncles and my aunt gave me hugs and everything. Just super happy, super grateful for the opportunity. So it was definitely an emotional moment.”

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Trotter Jr. had spent Friday at home in Hainesport, N.J., surrounded by family and friends while waiting to hear his name called from the Detroit draft stage in Rounds 2 or 3. That moment never came.

Instead of continuing to wait at home for the decision the following day, Trotter Jr. elected to join his dad on his trip to West Virginia to support his brother. Trotter Sr. offered his oldest son some advice as he anticipated that call a little bit longer than he had hoped.

“You’ve got to trust God’s plan,” Trotter Sr. told The Inquirer. “A lot of times we don’t know which direction God wants to go. We’ve just got to trust it and just control what we can control. We can’t control who and where you get picked. We can control putting in the work and what we do on the football field.”

That plan came to fruition, and it was worth the wait. Now, Eagles fans will get to see a Trotter don midnight green for a second time in the last four decades. His father spent eight seasons with the Eagles during his 11-year NFL career during the late 1990s and early 2000s, earning four Pro Bowl nods and one first-team All-Pro distinction. He was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2016.

The elder Trotter brought his son around the team when he was a toddler, whether he was hanging out at training camp or celebrating on the field after big playoff wins. In just a few months, Trotter Sr. will be the one in the Lincoln Financial Field crowd cheering on his son.

“I remember just him running around in the box or on the sidelines when I played,” Trotter Sr. said. “Now, he’s playing for those guys. It’s kind of surreal, man. We’re just enjoying the moment.”

In some specific ways, Trotter Jr. plans on carrying on the legacy of his father to the NFL. He wants to wear No. 54 with the Eagles, the same number that the elder Trotter wore and that he donned at The Prep and Clemson.

But even though he grew up the son of the “Axe Man,” Trotter Jr. said he didn’t feel any sort of pressure to be a carbon copy of his dad. At 6-foot, 228 pounds, he is smaller than his father was and has developed in an era that requires him to play in space. With his own skill set, the younger Trotter has an opportunity to make a distinct impact on the organization.

“My dad would always talk to me and said, ‘Hey, there isn’t no pressure,’” he said. “‘You’re your own player. Your own man. You have your own jersey. We’re different, as far as how we play the game.’ I’ve just got to go out there and be me, use the tools that God blessed me with and try to just use them to the best of my ability and try to be the player I can be as an individual.”

The Eagles coveted that player, too. While Trotter’s story is a feel-good one given his father’s history with the franchise, Roseman acknowledged that the Eagles stuck to their process and didn’t let emotions toward a hometown player influence their decision.

“He’s got skill set, and that’s why we drafted him,” Roseman said. “He’s got mentality, that’s why we drafted him. We’re looking forward to him being his own person. Not having to walk in anyone’s footsteps, but creating his own legacy.”

» READ MORE: Legacy LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. draws upon his father’s influence

Saturday afternoon has been a whirlwind for the Trotter family, filled with texts and calls from loved ones. They celebrated over Jamaican food and planned to call it a night early before heading back home on Sunday morning.

Then, the work begins once more. Trotter Jr. will get back in the gym in preparation for rookie minicamp next month. His dad, who coached him throughout his youth, will continue to put him through linebacker drills. Trotter Jr. even runs the same hill in the Mount Laurel area for his conditioning workouts that his dad once frequented during his NFL career.

The elder Trotter is eager to watch his son create his own legacy in the league. He’s already got a head start.

“He went to college and he was a two-time All-American at Clemson, one of the best schools in the country,” Trotter Sr. said. “He’s already doing it. He’s going to continue to do it, just got to keep working. Keep working and trust God and everything else will fall into place.”

And it won’t be too hard for him to find an Eagles jersey with the No. 54 and a Trotter nameplate.

“Hey, I get to wear my own jersey now!” Trotter Sr. exclaimed with a laugh.

“I told my family, I said, ‘All y’all got to do is pull your old jerseys out. You don’t have to purchase new jerseys.’”