Bucs Briefing rolls on with our in-depth look at the 2019 tape of each key member of Tampa Bay’s 2020 roster, including the current cornerstones of the team’s young defense: linebackers Lavonte David and Devin White and nose tackle Vita Vea. David is the unquestioned veteran leader of the Bucs defense, while White and Vea, former first-round picks, are the young pillars of a starting lineup that could feature as many as seven starters with two years or less of experience.

LB Lavonte David – 6-0, 233 – 30 years old – 9th season

Few NFL star-caliber players have toiled in obscurity like David has, spending eight years of his career as one of the game’s best linebackers for one of the league’s worst teams. David has never been to the playoffs and has enjoyed just one winning season in Tampa Bay – a 9-7 effort back in 2016. The Bucs have finished in last place in the NFC South during six of David’s eight seasons in the NFL.

Nevertheless, David has been the picture of consistency, leadership and loyalty to the Bucs organization. A fan favorite and one of the true underdogs across the NFL, David has made only one Pro Bowl in large part because he plays for a team that has rarely been in the spotlight. It certainly hasn’t been because of his play, as David has been among the best players in the league at his position for essentially his entire career. Missing just seven of a possible 128 games during that time hasn’t hurt either.

David is excellent at many things, but his coverage ability is what sets him apart. In a league where very few linebackers are quality cover men despite the team’s best efforts to find and mold them, David has rarely struggled. Covering as a linebacker is more about diagnosing, tackling in space and limiting YAC (yards after catch) than it is about preventing completions, but David’s seven pass breakups last season suggest he can do that, too.

David’s processing in zone coverage is probably the best in the NFL at the linebacker position. He’s able to feel routes and read quarterbacks at the same time, and he has all the athletic traits you need to close down quickly on routes in front of him. I love the awareness to rip through the catch point and nearly take this ball away.

Everything a linebacker needs to excel in zone coverage, David has. His change-of-direction and fluid hips allow him to do so much on one play and still be around the ball at the end. It’s crazy to watch.

Walls off No. 1 vertical, picks up the RB when he releases, sinks when the back adjusts his route down the seam, then processes the in-breaking route from the field and breaks on the ball for what should have been a house call interception. I mean … how? This is elite coverage play from an elite NFL player.

How about man coverage? Well, there’s the time he smothered Evan Engram in the slot so badly that the designed rub didn’t even pick David. Goal line situation, it just does not get any better than this from a technique standpoint. He erased any space Engram could have created.

Does David ever get beat in a significant fashion in coverage? Believe it or not, it does happen. And even when it happens, he still looks impressive.

David is sugaring the A-gap here, then dropping out to pick up No. 3 on a deep over route. This is already one of the hardest assignments there is for a linebacker, and David has a receiver with 4.4 speed  to handle on this play. He’s right in his opponent’s hip pocket as the ball arrives, just missing a pass breakup at the last second. On paper he got beat, but in the film room, every coach in the league would want a guy that can do this on their team and make the tackle that prevents a touchdown.

Most of the time linebackers are triggering forward in middle zone or to the flats in coverage, charged more with preventing YAC and big plays than making a lot of plays on the ball or even smothering receivers in man coverage. This is where David truly shines, as his ability to key-and-diagnose the quick passing game allows his athletic skill set to peak as he finishes play after play in space.

Tannehill actually checks into this swing pass because the surface Tampa Bay shows him is so favorable. That is, until David shades outside the tackle right before the snap, then takes off for the flat to bring down the receiver in space after a minimal gain. This was a chunk play waiting to happen, and it was completely erased by David’s mental processing and athleticism.

David does not get enough credit for how good a tackler he is, as he rarely misses stops and make an unbelievable amount of high quality tackles in space against elusive ball carriers. Obviously David’s athleticism helps, but he has great form and always arrives under control. His game is truly teach tape for young linebackers looking for tips on tackling in space.

There really is no weakness to David’s game. We haven’t even talked much about his run defense in the box, which is absolutely outstanding. He just processes so much faster than the play can develop. Playing linebacker is way more about being tough for blockers to nail down in the first place than it is stacking and shedding. David’s ability to stay a step ahead of blockers, beat them to spots and play around blocks while maintaining his gap integrity is special.

The past two seasons have arguably been David’s finest, as he’s played 97 and 98 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, while making plays all over the field. His conditioning and versatility allow him to be on the field in all situations while handling some of the toughest assignments for any linebacker in the league. David is the best player on the Bucs defense by far, and there’s an argument to be made that he is still the best player on the entire team. His tape is that good.

How has this earned him just one Pro Bowl nod in eight seasons? Well, outside of the fact that the honor is a joke of popularity contest, David playing for the hapless Bucs for years in obscurity hasn’t helped. Hopefully the team’s newfound direction with a slew of prime time games does wonders for the recognition of David’s play, but for now we are truly talking about a star talent who has received far too little love in the national spotlight over the years. Will 2020 be the year that changes? Let’s hope so.