Grading Buccaneers' Second Round Pick of Missouri's Josiah Trotter

The 2026 NFL Draft got off to a hot start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night when the best edge rusher in College Football last season, Miami's Rueben Bain Jr., unexpectedly fell into their lap almost halfway through the first round.

Not only did the Bucs address a key positional need with the selection, but they got a player who has the potential to completely transform their defensive front.

That being said, Jason Licht's work is far from finished. The success of a team's draft haul isn't determined on the first night. If anything, it's what teams are able to accomplish over Days 2 and 3 that has the greatest impact on their roster moving forward.

Despite adding a potential star to their edge rusher room in Round 1, that was just one piece of the puzzle. Looking forward to the rest of the draft, the Buccaneers still have a number of needs they want to address — especially on defense. Inside linebacker, cornerback, defensive tackle and tight end are all positions the Bucs would like to improve on, but the question heading into Day 2 was, which one would they address with their second pick in the draft?

Well, now we know.

Buccaneers select LB Josiah Trotter in Round 2

Much to the satisfaction of Buccaneers' fans everywhere, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted a linebacker with the 46th overall selection in the NFL Draft. That player was Josiah Trotter out of Missouri.

Trotter started his collegiate career at West Virginia before playing this past season for the Missouri Tigers where he started 12 games and led the team with 84 tackles and produced 13 TFL and 2 sacks. He is the son of the great Philadelphia Eagles' linebacker, Jeremiah Trotter.

Bucs' selection of Josiah Trotter earns a C-

Aug 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht watches the action against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Josiah Trotter was a 1st-Team All-SEC player in 2025, and the 6-1, 237-pounder is considered a strong run defender but a player who really struggles in coverage.

"This was a little earlier than I thought he would come off the board," draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah claimed on the live broadcast.

The two linebackers that were linked most to the Bucs heading into this selection were Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech) and C.J. Allen (Georgia). Rodriguez was not an option after being selected by the Miami Dolphins just a few picks earlier, but Allen was still available when Bucs legend Ronde Barber announced that Josiah Trotter was the pick.

It would not be fair to suggest that Josiah Trotter doesn't have what it takes to develop into a really solid linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will have the opportunity to prove that he can. But at this point, because Trotter is a player who struggles in coverage and was projected to be selected later on in the draft, it's tough to even consider giving this selection anything above a C- grade.

Hopefully for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he proves us wrong.

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