With the No. 46 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Bucs went ahead and addressed their biggest remaining need, selecting Missouri inside linebacker Josiah Trotter.

After Texas Tech inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez was selected by the Dolphins with pick No. 43, the Bucs pulled the trigger on Trotter three picks later. The son of four-time Pro Bowler and Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer Jeremiah Trotter Sr. and the brother of current Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Josiah Trotter is the next in line in what he has called “the family business.”

Trotter, a rocked-up, 6-foot-2, 237-pounder, only just turned 21 years old last week, making him one of the youngest prospects in this year’s draft class. Despite his youth, he made the most of his limited time at the collegiate level. He redshirted at West Virginia in 2023 before becoming a Freshman All-American and Big 12 Freshman of the Year for the Mountaineers in 2024. That year, he totaled 92 tackles, four tackles for loss, a half-sack, three passes defensed and an interception.

Missouri ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo by: IMAGN Images

Trotter then transferred to Missouri for his redshirt sophomore season. In his lone year with the Tigers, he posted 84 tackles, two sacks, 13 tackles for loss and a pass defensed on his way to First Team All-SEC honors. He then entered the NFL Draft, and now he’s a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.

Given his age, Trotter still has plenty of room to develop his shortcomings, most of which come in coverage. But for now, this is a young prospect with a great size who attacks downhill extremely well and with real violence. He has a quick trigger and doesn’t slow down when he makes contact as a tackler, finishing with great intensity. He has shown signs that he can be a useful blitzer, and his toughness and energy are off the charts.

The Bucs were clear about their interest in Trotter, meeting with him formally at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis before having him as an official 30 visit in Tampa later in the pre-draft process.

Bucs ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo courtesy of Missouri Athletics

While Pewter Report collectively liked Jacob Rodriguez as a fit for the Bucs, the prevailing thought was that he wouldn’t be there when Tampa Bay picked in the second round. That led to Trotter being Pewter Report’s Bucs Best Bet at inside linebacker for the early rounds.

Sure enough, that came to fruition as he will now join one of his father’s former teams, as Jeremiah Trotter Sr. spent a brief stint with the Bucs in 2007.

Trotter is the lone Missouri Tiger on Tampa Bay’s current roster and just the fourth to be drafted by the Buccaneers in their history. He is the second Missouri product selected in the second round by the organization, with the first being running back James Wilder in 1981.

The Bucs Will Hope Josiah Trotter Develops Into Their Next Great LB

Despite the two Lombardi Trophies the Bucs have in their trophy case, they don’t have the most illustrious history of winning throughout their 50 seasons of existence. But what they do have is an illustrious history of great linebacker play.

Think Richard “Batman” Wood, Hardy Nickerson, Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks and, most recently, Lavonte David. The importance of finding the next man up in a line of greatness at linebacker only grew more significant with David’s retirement last month.

In second-round pick Josiah Trotter, the Bucs hope they have found that next great linebacker.

Missouri LB Josiah Trotter – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jay Biggerstaff

Trotter may not have fully developed coverage skills just yet and will need to work on that aspect of his game. Increased ball production would also be a welcome development. However, his instincts against the run and ability to take on and shed blockers separated him from a lot of the other inside linebackers in this year’s draft class. He projects as a true MIKE linebacker for the Bucs, and given just how young he is, there’s so much room for him to grow into an all-around stud linebacker.

In terms of Trotter as a present-day player, he is an active box defender with a nose for the ball, and he plays with the temperament that every defensive coordinator wants from their linebackers.

He works best moving downhill and shows plus traits as a pass rusher while pairing it with twitchy hips to wiggle through gaps and make plays in the backfield. He had an 81.6 pass rush grade, per Pro Football Focus, and an 89.2 run defense grade. His 13 tackles for loss last year jump off the page, and it’s that type of production behind the line of scrimmage he’ll be looking to translate to the NFL right off the bat.

The same way no one asked Lavonte David to be Derrick Brooks, no one is asking Josiah Trotter to be Lavonte David. But the Bucs certainly hope that with time, their 2026 second-round pick develops into a special player in his own right and becomes just the latest great linebacker in the franchise’s history.