Josiah Trotter NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB

Matt HolderFeb 3, 2026

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Missouri LB Josiah Trotter with the No. 46 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Josiah Trotter perfectly defines the phrases "heat-seeking missile" and "plays with his hair on fire". The 6'2", 237-pound linebacker may not have his father's size (262-pound Jeremiah Trotter), but Jeremiah did pass down his instincts against the run, and the younger Trotter has the speed and athleticism to capitalize.

Also, Josiah's older brother, Jeremiah Jr., was a fifth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024.

The former 3-star recruit began his college career at West Virginia in 2023 but didn't play as a true freshman after suffering a torn ACL during spring practices.

He bounced back and was a starter as a redshirt freshman, though, collecting 92 tackles, four tackles for loss, half a sack, an interception, and two passes defended. That was good enough to earn Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and honorable mention honors.

Trotter transferred to Missouri ahead of this past season and racked up 84 tackles, 13 TFLs, two sacks, and a pass defended to become a first-team All-SEC performer.

Matt Holder has been a part of B/R's Scouting Department for four seasons. He also writes about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL draft for SB Nation's Silver and Black Pride, and co-hosts a YouTube Channel, Tape Don't Lie, providing film breakdowns and more draft prospect analysis.

Highlights

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Scroll down for the complete scouting report.

Where He Wins

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: AUG 28 Central Arkansas at Missouri

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- Trotter has good instincts as a run defender to quickly key and diagnose blocking schemes, and he has the speed to beat offensive linemen to the spot.

- Physical and has a lot of pop behind his pads when coming downhill to generate knockback power.

- Takes on blocks with good pad level/leverage.

- Has a solid shoulder dip to rip move to defeat blocks on the second level.

- Sure tackler who wraps up, brings his feet with him, and has very few misses throughout his career. Good at tackling in space, breaking down, and showing decent lateral movement skills to avoid getting juked out.

- Sniffs out screens and has the quick trigger and speed combination to close and make tackles near the line of scrimmage.

- Has the speed and burst to effectively click and close in coverage.

- Young prospect, won't turn 21 years old until about a week before the draft.

Areas of Improvement

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 11 Alabama at Missouri

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- Trotter is a little stiff in the hips and has subpar change-of-direction skills, impacting his ability to cover running backs in man coverage and turn and run against play-action passes.

- Bites hard against play-action fakes, too.

- Awareness in zone coverage is poor; he struggles or is slow to locate threats, will vacate his area, and/or take the cheese on high-low passing concepts, and isn't good at reading the quarterback's eyes to anticipate throws.

- Can be late to cover the flat in man coverage.

- Might be more of a two-down player in the NFL. Missouri took him out of the game in a lot of obvious passing situations.

- Below average size and frame, and appears to have shorter arms, making it difficult for him to get extension and disengage from blocks.

- Lacks the lower body strength to anchor and hold ground against offensive linemen who can absorb contact, making him reliant on winning at the point of attack.

- Hip stiffness impacts his ability to win as a pass-rusher when working finesse moves.