Buccaneers NFL Draft target: Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson 

How big of a need is the linebacker position? 

With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers deciding to part ways with 2019 first-round draft pick Devin White, linebacker shifts into focus as a possible team need. Of course, the position is set to be anchored by living legend Lavonte David but some of his positional peers are not nearly as proven.

Beyond David, Tampa Bay fans may need to learn to love guys like K.J. Britt and Sirvocea Dennis. Both Dennis and Britt did receive some playing time last year amidst the Devin White drama/benching—The story arc that brings us here, to the question— How big of a need is the linebacker position?

In his five seasons with the team, Devin White ran as hot as a sauna and he ran as cold as the polar ice caps. The incredibly high-highs and shockingly low-lows were just a part of the package. A package that was accepted by many, if not all, until one offseason ago.

White tried to push the Buccaneers into a new contract— wanting to be compensated as one of the best in the league, at his position. The Buccaneers, with their rose colored glasses set off to the side, took a firm stance of— No.

Tampa’s unwillingness to meet White’s demands prompted a new demand. Trade me.

Jason Licht responded just as he had to the contract demands prior— No.

So the drama ensued—

And never truly came to an end.

The conclusion of Devin White’s Tampa Bay story arc wasn’t the Hollywood ending anyone would’ve hoped for. Last season, White got injured, played through it, underachieved, seemed lacking in focus, and ultimately was told his playing time would be cut in favor of the aforementioned K.J. Britt. Britt would go on to finish the season with 29 tackles and tack on another 15 in the postseason. Fellow unheralded linebacker, Sirvocea Dennis, had a mere 13 tackles last season and Lavonte David, the ageless one himself, is on a one-year contract approaching year 13. So, How big of a need is the linebacker position? It’s a sizable need.

The only thing that may move attention and focus away from the need that exists is the fact that today’s NFL has minimized the impact of the position group as a whole. Even still, Tampa Bay, as well as anyone, can speak to the value of having a difference maker in the center of their defense. From guys like Hardy Nickerson and Derrick Brooks to their more modern counterparts— Lavonte David and at his peak, Devin White (who showed, during Tampa’s playoff run in 2020, the impact a linebacker can have for a defense), Tampa’s history shows the value of quality play at the position.

Linebacker is a short-term and long-term need for the Buccaneers and that changes the question.

How big of a need is the linebacker position?

Becomes— Is there a prospect at the position who can be a difference maker?

Who is Jeremiah Trotter Jr.?

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Well, the name sounds familiar. That’s because Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is the son of former NFL linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. Trotter was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for a large portion of his career, accumulating nearly 1,000 career tackles. Trotter did also spend two years in Washington and his 2007 season was actually spent in the red and pewter.

His son, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., is a linebacker out of Clemson who found his footing at the collegiate level in 2022. The 2022 season was a breakout year for Trotter Jr. as he tallied 89 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and two interceptions. In his third year at Clemson, Trotter Jr. showed up and again showed out. His 89 tackles remained consistent as the junior recorded 87. His ability to get the quarterback remained consistent as well, with another 5.5 sacks. Trotter Jr. also hauled in an additional two interceptions.

Over the past two seasons, the linebacker has given Clemson over 160 tackles, double digit sacks, four interceptions, and three forced fumbles.

NFL Scouting Combine & Pro Day

Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. measured 6’0” tall and weighed in at 228 lb. Trotter Jr. is the son of a retired Pro Bowl linebacker and scouts out as one. While Trotter Jr. doesn’t have elite jaw-dropping numbers in shorts (Trotter ran a 4.60 40-yard dash at Clemson’s Pro Day) he is a traditional football player—

Lance Zierlein’s NFL comparison for Trotter Jr. is Kansas City Chiefs’ linebacker Nick Bolton.

Zierlein, via NFL.com, expanded his take saying that what Trotter Jr. may lack in top-end athleticism he makes up for in how he performs on the field— “plays with dogged determination and a nose for the football that helps him pack out the stat sheet… He’s quick to diagnose and moves with exceptional body control and footwork to play around bodies and get to the rock. He’s not very big or long, but his football IQ makes it a moot point.”

How would Jeremiah Trotter Jr. fit in with the Buccaneers?

If he were to be drafted by the Bucs, Trotter Jr. would be brought in to replace Devin White. White was/is a standout athlete but on the field one of his greatest assets as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer was his ability to blitz the quarterback as an off-ball linebacker— At his appex, White posted nine sacks during the 2020 regular season. With 12 sacks, over the past two years, Trotter Jr. projects well into that role.

In Zierlein’s overview, he references the pass-rush ability of the former Tiger saying, “[Trotter Jr. has] real talent in getting to the quarterback… [His] rare elusiveness and footwork creates high-end success as a blitzer.”

Trotter Jr. may also have the ability to step in and provide a boost in coverage for the linebacker position opposite Lavonte David—

For the Buccaneers, inside linebacker isn’t one of the most obvious positions of need entering the NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a position the team should look into improving. With the loss of a starter and the pending retirement of another (likely) in the near future, adding young talent might not be the worst idea.

On the clock…

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