For months, the Bucs inside linebacker position has been an obvious, glaring need.

Their solution? A prospect who does not check every box — but might redefine which boxes matter.

Tampa Bay drafted Missouri inside linebacker Josiah Trotter on Friday night with the 46th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. In Trotter, they are bringing in a 21-year-old defender whose best football is still ahead of him. He is just beginning to tap into his potential, and both he and Bucs vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl shed light on what the team is getting in him on and off the field.

Bucs Believe In Josiah Trotter’s Ability To Become Three-Down Linebacker

Upon selecting Josiah Trotter, some of the initial criticism is that he is not a coverage linebacker. That is what the Bucs have needed for several seasons, ever since the legendary Lavonte David’s coverage skills started to gradually slip in 2023.

David could no longer be as sticky of a linebacker as he entered his mid-30s, and the team mightily struggled in the area when trotting out K.J. Britt and SirVocea Dennis next to him.

If you are looking for a polished coverage linebacker, the metrics will not sell you on Trotter.

Bucs ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo courtesy of Missouri Athletics

He ranked just 657th out of 742 linebackers with a 47.9 coverage grade, per Pro Football Focus. Despite what that says about that part of his game, the Bucs’ front office projects a different outcome. While critics point to his coverage limitations, Tampa Bay sees a linebacker whose physicality, instincts, and leadership outweigh the concerns.

“I would say that’s fair, but I also think that he can play in coverage,” Mike Biehl said, pushing back against the narrative Trotter can’t cover. “I think that’s a little bit of a misnomer. I don’t know if it’s the narrative the media is putting out, but he’s actually pretty good at it. That being said, he’s an old school, downhill MIKE [linebacker] that can play the run which is hard to find nowadays. With the college game the way it has went, it’s all lateral and everybody is looking for the speed stuff.

“To us, he has enough speed to play in our league. Now, if you said he’s a better run defender than a pass defender, I would say yeah, that’s probably fair, but we think he has the capability to be a three-down linebacker.”

Admittedly, the stronger parts of Trotter’s game are his ability to defend the run and blitz, as Biehl mentioned. That is exactly why he has been a fascinating Day 2 target for Tampa Bay for months, something Pewter Report highlighted throughout the pre-draft process – and a reason why he was a PR Bucs Best Bet.

Bucs ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo courtesy of Missouri Athletics

Biehl shared what separated Trotter from other linebackers when the team was on the clock.

“In the end, it’s about the player and the person, right?” Biehl said. “We just thought he was one of those guys that matched up with both of them. He has a lot of ability to play in this league, and again, I just talked about the toughness and the attitude that a guy like him brings to our defense…Then, the person and the leader that we think he can potentially be, and the teammate, he just fits the ‘I am that man’ [phrase] that we use a lot around here.”

Josiah Trotter: “I Can Only Show You Better Than I Can Tell You”

Josiah Trotter is not someone wavering in confidence.

It is not manufactured; rather, it is inherited.

Bucs ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo courtesy of Missouri Athletics

Given that his dad Jeremiah Trotter was a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker and his brother Jeremiah Trotter Jr. currently plays for the Eagles, the youngest Trotter’s family tree has molded his football journey. It is a big reason he felt ready to make the jump to the NFL at just 21 years old after only playing two seasons of college football.

“I felt ready; I felt ready to go, and I feel like God was leading me into that direction – I had been praying about it, and I’m just blessed to have the opportunity to just be able to come out,” Trotter said. “Trusting Him with how my process went and I knew I felt like I was ready and capable just being able to go to that next level, just not only play physically, but also mentally.”

Adding to that, Trotter spoke about how he has been prepared for this moment since a young age.

“It shaped me so much from a young age,” Trotter said about how his dad and brother allowed him to grow. “Kind of seeing my dad as dad and then growing up learning more about what that last name meant. Having him as not as a coach, as a father, but someone that played in the NFL at a high level, and then a brother that was really good, then ultimately, he’s playing right now in the NFL. It was a lot of pressure maybe when I was younger, but I learned if you never embrace it, you’ll always be running from it.

“So, I always learned how to embrace it, put a chip on my shoulder and I think it’s also made me into the player I am today because they also helped me. They poured into me to be able to get me to this point as well. [I am] just blessed and thankful to God that not only were they in my life, but they were a positive influence and people that I look up to and really lean on not only for advice just for football, but just in life.”

Trotter is not the best version of what he will be on the football field — yet. That is to be expected, given he spent just a season at West Virginia before transferring to Missouri.

Still, flashes of being a productive player are there.

Missouri ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo by: IMAGN Images

After recording 92 tackles, four tackles for loss, an interception, and half a sack for the Mountaineers as a freshman in 2024, his time with the Tigers as a sophomore saw him showcase a bit more tenacity in the backfield. Trotter recorded 84 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and two sacks in 2025. With NFL offenses re-emphasizing the run and heavier personnel, it is clear why Tampa Bay prioritized this skill set.

To the Bucs, he was the best linebacker on the board, as other linebackers like Georgia’s CJ Allen, Cincinnati’s Jake Golday, and Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr. all went later in the second round. For what Tampa Bay wants to do defensively, they believe he is the best fit for Todd Bowles’ scheme. Time will tell whether or not that proves to be true, with that hinging on the extent that Josiah Trotter develops.

“I’m only scratching my surface,” Trotter said. “I only played two seasons and was able to play one season with Mizzou and just get in there with a different scheme. I’m just scratching the surface, and once people find out and then to see what God put on the inside of me of what I can truly do as an all-around linebacker…They don’t even know.

“I can only show you better than I can tell you, so that’s all I really tell people… I’m just letting time do its thing and when I get there, just put my head down, go grind, get to work and just try to be the best me I can possibly be that God made me to be.”

Heading into the offseason, Bowles stated his desire was for the Bucs’ defense to get “bigger” after stating in the past his desire to add speed to the unit. In doing so, Tampa Bay has leaned into toughness and physicality adding players in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft.

More than any other addition, Josiah Trotter is the test case for whether that approach actually translates to wins.