— 5. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Jr., Clemson, 6-0, 228)

Trotter's father, Jeremiah Sr., was a two-time All-Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles. Junior shares some of his father's skills such as his ability to fly around, trust his instincts and make plays. He led the Tigers in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks in each of the past two seasons. In coverage, NFL athletes will give him some trouble, but he has the pedigree to adjust. Projected: Rounds 2-4

— 6. Tommy Eichenberg (Sr., Ohio State, 6-2, 233)

The two-time team captain is an old-school thumper with impressive instincts and a relentless motor who thrives playing downhill. However, there are limitations to Eichenberg's sideline-to-sideline range as a run defender, and he'll need to work on identifying routes in coverage at the next level. Projected: Rounds 3-5

— 7. Trevin Wallace (Jr., Kentucky, 6-1, 237)

The traits scream superstar. Wallace is an explosive athlete with a background in track and field and weightlifting, but the play recognition and football instincts are lacking. There's a diamond here ready to be polished by the right coaching staff. Projected: Rounds 4-7

— 8. Jordan Magee (Sr., Temple, 6-1, 228)

Magee was a high school quarterback who became a three-year starter at linebacker for the Owls. He'll need to add bulk in the pros, but the two-time team captain is an effective blitzer who has proven capable of creating negative plays (23 tackles for loss the last two seasons). Magee can be a special teams contributor right away. Projected: Rounds 4-7

— 9. Tyrice Knight (Sr., UTEP, 6-0, 233)

Knight wasn't ranked by recruiting services and was forced to go the JUCO route before ending up in El Paso. He's proven versatile enough to play inside or outside, and has been a tackling machine for the Miners. Knight finished No. 1 in the FBS in solo tackles in 2023 — 84 of his Conference USA-leading 140 tackles were all him. He plays faster than he tests, with no wasted movement when he's in pursuit. Knight will be a 24-year-old NFL rookie. Projected: Rounds 5-6

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