In just a few days an important date in the 2026 NFL Draft cycle will be here. The NFL Scouting Combine will commence in Indianapolis, and teams and draft experts alike will be able to confirm or refute their athleticism priors as draft-eligible players from across the nation will show off their speed, power and agility. It also presents an opportunity for teams to interview players who they previously have not had an opportunity to speak to.

I have been focusing on the defensive side of the ball in my early preparation, specifically on the linebacker position because the Bucs’ current linebacker room is very thin and did not perform particularly well last year. I am now over 10 linebacker evaluations deep and one of the more popular players of this draft cycle is NFL legacy Josiah Trotter.

Here is a quick recap of the linebacker profiles I have completed to this point:

Draft: Sonny Styles, Owen Heinecke, Kyle Louis, Arvell Reese, Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Jacob Rodriguez, Justin Jefferson, C.J. Allen, Anthony Hill, Jr., Jake Golday, Keyshaun Elliott

Free Agents: Nakobe Dean, Devin Bush

Josiah Trotter Background and College Career

Josiah Trotter comes from a football family. His father was a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jeremiah Trotter Sr. His brother, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., currently plays linebacker for the Eagles.

Trotter was a three-star recruit (No. 44 LB and No. 7 in the state) out of St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia. He enrolled at the University of West Virginia for the 2023 season but didn’t play until 2024.

Trotter recorded 92 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, half a sack, two passes defensed and one interception his freshman season. Following the season, he entered the transfer portal once again as a three-star player (No. 14 LB) in the class. He committed to Missouri, moving to the SEC from the Big XII.

His sophomore season saw him record 84 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Josiah Trotter Scouting Report

Games Watched: 2025 South Carolina, 2025 Auburn, 2025 Arkansas, 2025 Alabama

Athleticism

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 237 pounds

Josiah Trotter has flexible hips and strong burst, which make him an ideal box player. His long speed is moderate, and backs can lose him when they get vertical. His joint flexibility is good and helps him change directions well and keep his balance. Trotter’s lateral speed is a plus and he balances QB rollout closes with flat responsibilities well.

He is more twitched up than I expected, as he moves well in small spaces.

Missouri ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo by: IMAGN Images –

Run Fitting

Trotter is a downhill thumper who plays out of control at times. Stacking and shedding comes easy to him, and he plays with exceptional leverage. He loves bringing the fight to others. He has a junk dog mentality, and he loves fighting through multiple blocks to get to the ball. Trotter violently punches to push offensive linemen off his frame, controlling the point of attack, and at times can create negative vertical displacement, pushing them back into the running back before making the tackle himself.

Trotter can make tackles easily off blocks and off his frame, but he can be late to diagnose runs. He does flow to the ball well once he does see it. But while others see Trotter as a high-level processor I think he just guesses a lot. And when he’s right it looks beautiful.

Been working through the LBs for the 2026 NFL Draft and Missouri LB 40 Josiah Trotter is electric. On this play, he reads the pulling LG & LT on Q Counter Sweep Read. Instantly triggers with good burst, pad level and rips under the RT to meet the QB in the hole. pic.twitter.com/Pj6lSx52gC

— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) February 12, 2026

But Trotter guesses wrong quite a bit. And that worries me.

He has a nose for the ball in muddied situations and can sift-and-find well. Trotter’s strength helps him hold up at the point of attack to stay in the fight against players 80 pounds heavier than him. But while he has a reputation as a big hitter, those plays are few and far between. Trotter is controlled and technically sound but doesn’t deliver pop that often.

For as wild as he likes to play, Trotter comes in for tackles surprisingly balanced and his technique is fantastic. He’s kept his missed tackle rate at just a hair over 10% for his college career.

Pass Rush

This is where Trotter excels the most. He comes in fast and hard to wreak havoc on pass protection plans. Trotter brings enough force to his attacks from the second level to dent blockers and create space for teammates to flow in as loopers. And he can attack from both a mugged-up and off the edge spot. And he has enough wiggle in his hips to adjust around blockers to continue his pressure path.

You can tell he loves this aspect of the game as it weaponizes his attacking personality and playing style. His pressure against Auburn where he damn near hurdles the running back is one of the most fun plays I have scouted this draft season.

Coverage

Trotter is young and still has plenty of room to grow in this area, but currently he doesn’t have a great feel in space, and he can be easily pulled from his zone/assignment. He gets antsy and doesn’t show a great understanding of route development around him. This can leave Trotter’s defense in trouble too often. He also bites too hard on play action, leaving him woefully out of position as eligibles gain loads of space behind him.

While he closes fast, Trotter is rarely unbalanced or undisciplined. From a mugged-up position he has the speed to drop quickly enough to close windows despite not being adept at the finer points of the skill.

Missouri ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo by: IMAGN Images –

Instincts and IQ

Trotter is young and has time to figure things out, but right now his processing is just not ready for the NFL level. He bites on any eye candy he is shown. Play-action fakes get him charging downfield and two-way action with run fakes will often get Trotter going in the wrong direction. He is so gung-ho to find the ball he often loses it unless the play is straight-forward from the jump.

Best Traits

• Physical mentality and quick feet in the box
• Plus as a pass rusher who loves to create chaos

Best Role And How Does He Fit In The Bucs’ System

Josiah Trotter profiles as a down-hill middle linebacker who will be a value-add rushing the passer. But I’m not sure he can be that year one. He has a long way to go as a processor and will need time to learn the mental speed of the NFL.

He lacks the processing power to see things as a coverage player to be in the right place at the right time and doesn’t have the elite athletic traits to catch up when he is late to recognize.

Year one, Trotter can be a great special teamer. He will work downfield with his hair on fire and has the breakdown technique to be a sure tackler in space. Beyond that he would need to be used in a specialized role as a blitzer, but he would be a big tell when he gets on the field. His entire eval would come down to whether he can learn the mental processing aspect of the position, which would be a multi-year projection/project.

As for his fit in the Bucs’ system, his archetype would work in a Todd Bowles mug-and-drop defense, but the risk involved with that projection would make him a Day 3 bet for me. Yet Trotter is projected to be a Day 2 selection.

Hear Josiah Trotter Speak

Part of NFL Draft evaluations are about more than the tape. Teams want to understand the person as much as the player — how he thinks, how he processes the game, and how he integrates into a locker room. While we don’t have access to the full depth of team interviews, I found an interview Josiah Trotter did prior to the 2025-2026 season where he discussed his move to the SEC as well as his family tradition at linebacker.

Talking about being “born and bred to play linebacker” speaks to his joy at the position, something I think comes across on his tape. He works at 100 miles an hour no matter if he’s right or wrong on his read. And that’s fun to watch.