Buccaneers Select Missouri LB Josiah Trotter With No. 46 Pick in NFL Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their first round steal with Rueben Bain at pick No. 15 — and now, they've added another defensive piece with an inside linebacker.

The Buccaneers drafted Missouri Tigers linebacker Josiah Trotter with the No. 46 pick in the NFL Draft, adding a linebacker who could be set to play alongside new free agent acquisition Alex Anzalone. Trotter, a 6-2, 237- pound linebacker who played at Missouri after two years at West Virginia, could contribute in Tampa Bay right away.

Trotter had 13 tackles for loss and two sacks last year for Missouri. He's a solid blitzer, so head coach Todd Bowles will like to use him in that respect, and his run defense and ability to hit gaps served him well last year. Trotter isn't the fastest linebacker and has had some trouble in coverage, however, so it will be interesting to see if he improves on this aspect of his game when he gets to Tampa Bay.

Trotter comes from a family of football players. His father, Jeremiah Trotter, played in the NFL for 11 years for the Philadelphia Eagles and accrued four Pro Bowl nods over his time there. Josiah's brother, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024. The Buccaneers would likely be very happy if Josiah could play with similar production to his father, but that remains to be seen.

The Buccaneers had some problems at inside linebacker last year, with David slowing down and battling injury in his last year and LB SirVocea Dennis underperforming in his first year as a starter. Trotter could be a nice pairing along with Anzalone, and the move officially ushers in a complete reset for Tampa Bay's off-ball linebackers.

The Bucs went defense for their first two picks of the draft at their two biggest positions of need, so now, they'll draft for depth across the entire board. The Bucs could still use pieces at cornerback and defensive interior, and they'll have a chance to draft one of those players when they pick in the third round at No. 77.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google