The Buccaneers addressed their gaping hole at MIKE linebacker on Day 2 of the NFL Draft, selecting Missouri’s Josiah Trotter at 46th overall.
Trotter will pair with new signing Alex Anzalone to hopefully elevate the floor of the Bucs’ linebacking corps, which has been way too much of liability over the last two seasons. He’s still very young, but his instincts and dynamic playstyle are super encouraging and indicate there’s lots of ceiling to strive for.
Let’s learn more about him.
Josiah Trotter Career Stats
Trotter’s veins pulse
with NFL bloodlines, as his father Jeremiah Trotter played as a multi-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler for 11 years in the NFL — 8 with the Philadelphia Eagles, 2 for Washington, and even 1 with the Bucs — between 1998 and 2009.
His two sons followed in his footsteps, as Jeremiah Jr. played at Clemson and got drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Eagles, with whom he currently still plays.
Josiah played at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia and quickly made an impression at linebacker and eventually earned an All-American Bowl invite as a 3-star recruit, which ranked him as the No. 9 overall prospect in Pennsylvania for the 2023 recruiting class.
He received a litany of Power 5 offers, including his brother’s alma mater Clemson, but he chose to go his own way by committing to West Virginia. However, he got derailed before he could establish himself when a torn ACL forced a redshirt.
He came back with a vengeance in 2024, starting 11 out of 12 games and compiling 92 tackles (4 for loss), 0.5 sacks, 3 passes defensed, and 1 interception. He earned a place on the Freshman All-American squad and also became Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
After the Mountaineers fired their coaching staff, Trotter took his talents to Missouri and took his game up another level as the enforcer of a fearsome Tigers defense. He started all 12 games, notching 84 tackles (a whopping 13 for loss) to go along with 2 sacks. His efforts earned him first-team All-SEC.
As a redshirt sophomore, the younger Trotter declared for the draft at just 21 years old.
Athletic Testing
Trotter did not participate in athletic testing during the pre-draft process due to a minor knee issue. He measured in at nearly 6-foot-2, 240 pounds at his pro day with 32”+ arms, and he benched an impressive 27 reps at 225 pounds.
He’s fairly average by size standards, and film reveals a player who’s not super twitchy or fast but has what he needs to get where he needs to go. The calling card of his game is his strength, as he violently meets ball carriers and sheds blockers at a high level.
What Type of Player Is Josiah Trotter?
The Bucs wanted to get nastier and more assertive in their front 7, and they have absolutely accomplished that with the drafting of Rueben Bain Jr. and now Josiah Trotter.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler could not have put it more perfectly: “(Trotter) is a hammer looking for a nail.”
Trotter having a high-level pro for a father shows up in numerous ways. He’s extremely quick to key and trigger downhill, he possesses a really good understanding of pursuit angles and tackling form, and he pulls out some really nifty moves on his blitz snaps.
It is no surprise at all that Todd Bowles loves this player. A violent run fitter with no-nonsense deameanor and excellent blitz potential, Trotter already having such a strong base to build on as a 21 year old is encouraging…if they can develop him.
Trotter is still very green in coverage, which has been a notorious issue for this team. It’s going to take some time to get him into a place where he can reliably play on obvious passing downs. There’s upside to suggest he’s capable of it, but is this coaching staff?
In more than 8 years since Bowles and Co. took over this defense, there have been zero hits when it comes to off-ball linebacker development. Lavonte David was already elite when Bowles and Mike Caldwell got here, and they took Devin White top 5 and proceeded to do very little with his immense physical talent beyond his first two seasons.
Trotter may very well be an addition for the next coaching staff, but Bowles is still here now so hopefully he’s concocted a clear vision for how to deploy their new top-50 pick.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s hard to hate this pick too much, though it’s easier to critique compared to Day 1’s slam-dunk selection.
The Bucs desperately needed linebacker, and they got one who’s going to make you more stout, aggressive, and consistent in run defense. Trotter shows clear upside as a pass-rusher as well, which naturally fits into Bowles’s creative pressure packages.
This might set the table for another investment in linebacker later in the draft; one who has more immediate chops / upside in the passing game so they have clear options on passing downs.
What say you, Bucs Nation? Offer your thoughts below!
