Mina Kimes Blesses Bucs Draft (At Least Through Four Rounds)
April 26th, 2026
Impressed with Bucs draft.
No, the Bucs didn’t go out and draft a bunch of college stars who played for SEC or B1G teams, and dudes who played in a lot of network TV games.
And Joe guesses that’s why some Bucs fans are not all that giddy about what the Bucs did in the draft after Day 1 and the pick of edge rusher Rueben Bain.
Why didn’t the Bucs trade up for inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez? Why didn’t the Bucs pick linebacker CJ Allen? Why didn’t the Bucs get (name a player whose name you are familiar with)? Why?
Well, someone who studies the NFL seems to think Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht did strong work this weekend. That would be Mina Kimes of BPSN. On Saturday, she twittered out her compliments.
“Helluva class for Tampa so far,” Kimes Twittered. “Keionte Scott is a dawg.”
It seems a huge sticking point for Bucs fans is second-round pick Josiah Trotter, who has some narrative about him that he cannot defend the pass at linebacker. Joe’s not sure where the narrative was hatched but Joe suspects the source is the PFF tribe.
On Friday, Bucs vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl said it’s a “misnomer” that Trotter cannot play the pass. Joe knows football people on social media think Licht got very good value with Trotter.
That feeling is not shared by many Bucs fans.
Helluva class for Tampa so far. Keionte Scott is a dawg. pic.twitter.com/Olzu8ZajGh
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) April 25, 2026
April 26th, 2026 at 8:07 am
i don’t mind trotter pick might wind up being a good one felt like they could have traded back and got him, maybe they tried who knows . maybe jrod was their number 1 target and they hoped they would get lucky like with bain. hard to grade the pick without their thought process.
April 26th, 2026 at 8:07 am
Time will tell I guess. We’ll have to see how the careers of Allen and Trotter play out. I honestly hope I’m wrong and Trotter is far better, once again showing why Licht is a NFL GM and most of us are armchair wannabe GM’s.
April 26th, 2026 at 8:10 am
Mina knows everything about football.
April 26th, 2026 at 8:14 am
Good morning Mina! Mahalo Joe’s!
April 26th, 2026 at 8:30 am
I think Licht believed that Phil wanted Trotter…..and had 2 picks before our 3rd round pick.
He wanted Trotter because of lineage…..like Winfield….we will see.
April 26th, 2026 at 8:36 am
Trotter will be fine. He was drafted to be a MIKE LB, and for that he ia perfect. He isnt as awful as Britt was, and at 21 is still learning the route tree.
And yeah, the pff grade on passing is what people are picking up on. I watched 2 Missouri games, and this guy is the real deal. Jrod is a MO linebacker, and Allen and Hill have more deficiencies than Trotter. And are smaller.
The comps for Trotter are Ray Lewis. If he turns out like Ray, noone will be complaining.
April 26th, 2026 at 8:38 am
Oh, and Denver wanted Trotter bad. Sean Payton and Vance Joseph know their stuff.
April 26th, 2026 at 8:50 am
I rather have Josiah Trotter over Jacob Rodriguez, CJ Allen
And CJ is one of my favorite players
And Josiah Trotter played in the SEC with Missouri
In fact, he was 1st team All- SEC MLB
Miami is a big time program in the ACC
Notre Dame is a big time independent program
We got a SEC TE from LSU
April 26th, 2026 at 8:52 am
Nick Saban questions Trotter’s range and ability to cover.
If Trotter is the Mike, his responsibility in a 3×1 set as the Mike is the running back.
The Falcons used the 3×1 to kill us. They put Kyle Pitts in the trips slot and had Drake London split out wide as the 1 x receiver and had Bijan Robinson as the back.
If Trotter is the Mike, then his responsibility is Bijan Robinson.
Nobody who has watched Trotter play and understands football (football doesn’t care about your pedigree), believes and trusts that Trotter can cover Bijan on Texas, Ghost, Shoot, Angle, Wheel or Arrow routes out of the backfield.
That’s a problem.
April 26th, 2026 at 8:55 am
Trotter, Allen, or Hill are all coinflips that only time will tell. The real head scratcher was the trade up for a pretty pedestrian TE, who was likely slated to be an udfa
April 26th, 2026 at 8:58 am
Josiah Trotter met with the Bucs at the combine
He met with them again for a Top 30 visit
I’m sure they were sold on Trotter, and they wasn’t going to lose him
Missouri had a Top -10 defense, and Trotter was the playcaller, the MIKE
And a Captain, the leading tackler, he’s physical, high football IQ
He been studying football all of his life, he’s knowledgeable
And I’m sure that’s what blew the Bucs minds
April 26th, 2026 at 8:58 am
After watching Scott on tape and looking at his stats, this might be the biggest steal of-the draft for the Bucs. Can’t believe the Bucs were able to get him in the 4th round.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:04 am
I for one love this draft class! Think they got steals ( Bain jr.) Some hidden Gems like the Evans type WR, hard hitting mean LB and a dawg CB who played with Bain and are like friend’s going into boot camp together, big old farm boy guard….all guys who will change the tenor and attitude on our soft team last year! Love it! Time to pound the over 8 wins $$$ No way we don’t at least go 9-7, does that save Blows job, probably not, but wins me some money if they don’t really explode…10 wins seems like a lock…oh and a pissed off Baker wanting to out play Purdy to show Evans he made the wrong choice, and a much better O.C to get him back to Liam type of outstanding stats!! Let’s go boys!
April 26th, 2026 at 9:05 am
Josiah Trotter is only 21 years old and played only 2 years. He missed his redshirt year due to a leg injury. The kid has just started and has proven himself to be one of the better college LB. Give him some time and I’m sure he’ll pick up his cover skills. After all, he’ll be learning from one of the best cover LB, Alex Anzalone.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:05 am
Todd/Jason wanted Trotter even with Allen still on the board. Both their jobs are likely on the line here, I trust their judgement
April 26th, 2026 at 9:06 am
Somebody just compared Josiah trotter coverage skills to Devin white. This dude is not LVD’d replacement for sure. Leave it to Bowles to find another KJ Britt because Britt is exactly the kind of dinosaur Bowles is looking for
April 26th, 2026 at 9:08 am
Lakeland,
Our linebackers got torched by Pitts and Bijan last year. They will have to play them twice this year.
Trotter is a liability on the field against either Pitts or Bijan.
I would line up in a trips set right with my Y on the line and have the Y run a seam and my back lined up over the Y and running Ghost/Texas/Angle out of the backfield.
Tom Brady loved running that play with Gronk and James White.
I state that Trotter can’t cover the Y or back in either scenarios I have given you.
You don’t talk ball with me, but instead talk meetings the Bucs had with Trotter.
Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson don’t care about if you met with the players you drafted. They only care if they can stop them. Trotter can’t.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:09 am
Lakeland,
Trips right, Y left on the line with the back over the Y.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:10 am
Josiah Trotter recently turned 21 years old
He only played 2 years of college football
And he transferred to Missouri, and won the Green Dot (MIKE)
All of the great MIKE LB got better in coverage with time
Before the draft, the Bucs were saying they wasn’t worried about Trotter coverage
They said he will get better, a lot better, he’s a learner
If he was 24 years old, been in college for 5-6 years
Then it would be a problem, but he only played 24 games in college.
But he had very high production in those 24 games
176 Tackles, 17 TFL, 3 5 Sacks
His upside is much higher than the other Linebackers.
There is no way Josiah Trotter would’ve made it to Round 3
This was an excellent draft pick by Jason Licht
April 26th, 2026 at 9:12 am
Trotter will be out on passing downs and either Rozeboom or someone else will be schemed up to take his place. Or someone brought up to help out.
Eventually he will be able to handle it. Probably should have stayed in school another year, as he just turned 21.
I do know that none of the other LBs have the skill set to give you what Trotter can in run defense or pass rush. The theme this year is get to the QB.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:12 am
Lakeland,
We need him to cover Pitts and Robinson now. Not in years down the line.
You’re telling me we drafted a 2 down player who is a project in the 2nd round.
That’s a problem.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:17 am
They not going to start Josiah Trotter as a 3 down MIKE
They are going to work with him, work him into the lineup
I wouldn’t be surprised if Todd Bowles goes more with Dimes this season
I’m not going to question, or second guess Todd Bowles
He’s been in the NFL for over 40 years
He’s been around a lot of great Linebackers
From Wilbert Marshall to Lavonte David
The man knows what he’s doing
They said they wanted to get bigger tougher, stronger,
And Josiah Trotter fit the Bill, with a very high football IQ
April 26th, 2026 at 9:19 am
I trust JL and if they believe Trotter can do the job then fine. We can give him a chance to prove himself. However, LB coverage was a problem last year. Can’t have that problem again.
My biggest problem with Trotter is that he wasn’t projected that high and most had as a 3rd round pick. My problem is the Bucs didn’t trade down and then get him.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:22 am
Trotter instead of Allen, a receiver we probably could’ve got in the 5th round, another Logan hall and a practice squad te instead nuismeyer to develop. TBH I’m tired of licht and his incompetence. I’ve been a fan over 40 years buying tickets merch all that and I’m almost at the point where I can’t take this doofus no more. I guess it’s just status quo.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:23 am
Or the Bucs just go dime and rush Trotter against whatever second string left handed QB the Falcons throw out there. Tua is shorter than Mayfield.
Its not complicated. Back in the day the Ravens did just that until Ray Lewis got comfortable.
Why the big focus on the Falcons? The Panthers are more of a threat.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:24 am
Mark the tape VP Mike Biehl says Trotter CAN cover people while the intelligencia say he cannot. Better be right Mike because that is a statement that puts your arse on the firing line.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:25 am
I know a TE in the 6th has a uphill climb to get action but after hearing Sharps presser and a glance at his highlights I can see why the Bucs took a shot at him. With a 6’4 frame QB background understanding the playbook and assignments may come quicker for him. He calls himself a swiss army knife who can do multiple tasks. Catch, throw, run, block, and special teams. He may find some work there with Danny Smith.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:25 am
You keep talking covering Pitts and Robinson
Did you watch the Carolina – Falcons game last season?
I watched the full game
Carolina shut then down, Pitts and Robinson were non factors
Carolina beat them 30-0, they physically beat up the Falcons
Christian Rozeboom was dominant the entire game
We are adding the pieces to the puzzle
This will be a TOTALLY different BUC team in 2026
We are bigger, faster, smarter, and we are a better tackling team
If you want to control Pitts and Robinson, go watch thier game against Carolina
April 26th, 2026 at 9:27 am
I was watching one of these draft sites and they were grading our draft. The guy on there was happy the Bucs picked the tight end from LSU. He is one of his favorites because he was a blocking beast. He said he can block with the best of them. There’s your answer why they picked him.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:27 am
I’m good with the draft. There were a lot of holes to fill and the results will be apparent after 2 or 3 games. I’m hopeful! Looks like these guys will revitalize a sorry D! Real dawgs have been added to the team! I’m hoping they all play with chips on their shoulders, like BM6 does!!
April 26th, 2026 at 9:28 am
You trust the same Todd Bowles who let the league MVP in Cooper Kupp wide open on the deciding play that led to the defeat of the Bucs in the playoffs against the Rams?
You trust the same Todd Bowles who let an aging QB in Kirk Cousins covert a 3-28 on the Bucs last year?
The Falcons overcame a franchise-record 19 penalties and a 28-14 fourth-quarter deficit to kill our Buc’splayoff hopes.
I don’t trust Bowles.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:39 am
The Carolina Panthers beat the Falcons twice last season
That’s why the Panthers won the tiebreaker over us
And they didn’t sack the QB, not once , and Cousins and Penix played both games
They beat the Falcons down with pure physicality
That’s where we are going, that’s our destination
We’re going to beat teams with physicality
We want physical players that hit hard, good tacklers
We want to make the opposition feel the pain
Last season was a total embarrassment, a disgrace, shameful
This is a new ERA, a new team, going into a new direction
And I’m all in with the Bucs
April 26th, 2026 at 9:44 am
We’re not worrying about covering TE and RB over the middle
In fact you want them to complete passes in the middle of the field
That’s when you lower the boom in them, knock them out
That’s how football should be played, that’s the only way
April 26th, 2026 at 9:46 am
That’s how we been taught to play football in Lakeland
Attack the ball, don’t worry about nothing else
Just keep attacking the ball
April 26th, 2026 at 9:51 am
Everyone wants to be “right” and look the smartest. Relax. Let time reveal who’s who and what’s what. I love the draft haul overall. Being a Philly guy, I watched Trotters father play, and he was a hell of a player. Yes, he did possess some of the coverage deficiencies that people are worried about with Josiah, but he played in a scheme (under the Great Jim Johnson), that is very similar to what Todd runs, and was a great fit in said scheme. I have faith that Josiah can be a quality Buc in the mold of Shelton Quarles and become a fan favorite.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:54 am
If you start hitting these dudes, they gonna avoid the middle of the field
We’ve been too passive, too weak, that’s going to change.
Our problem wasn’t bad coverage, the problem was miss tackles
You’re not going to stop a RB from catching passes, that’s a fantasy
They have the highest catch rate, mostly 75-85 % .
The problem is missing the tackle, allowing them to rack up yards
And they’re also going unpunished, when you miss the tackle
April 26th, 2026 at 9:54 am
@Lakeland
The one light town of Belle Glade and neighboring Pahokee that to cross the bridge to had 6 players playing in the Super Bowl between the Ravens and 49er’s.
Lakeland is good, but Belle Glade and Pahokee have produced far more professional football players than Lakeland.
Trust me, we know how to play football down in the muck.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:56 am
“We’re not worrying about covering TE and RB over the middle
In fact you want them to complete passes in the middle of the field
That’s when you lower the boom in them, knock them out”
Tom Brady and Gronk and James White would love going against your strategy.
They won quite a few Super Bowls against teams who did worry about them.
April 26th, 2026 at 9:59 am
I know about Glades Central and Pahokee
I know about the Muck Bowl
I know all of the High School football powers in America
We play then all every year, my nephew is our starting Free Safety
April 26th, 2026 at 10:02 am
When l was at Lakeland High
.
Jesse Hester was the big Dawg in the Muck
He was fast, but couldn’t catch a cold
April 26th, 2026 at 10:03 am
I was initially down on the Trotter pick but spent a bit more time watching some tape. What I saw was that where he was deficient in coverage seemed to have more to do with playing in zone. It seemed like he would bite on a play action or leave his zone to cover a player rather than leave that responsibility to the other defender that should have covered that zone.
He looked very good covering screen passes to running backs out of the backfield where he would blow them up at the line of scrimmage. That was an area that was very deficient for us as those guys would break tackles and get junk yardage on these little short dink passes.
The areas he was deficient in is not from a lack of skill but probably a lack of experience. I think it can easily be coached up to learn to respect your zone area and how to have a better handle on reading the offense..
It’s possible that Allen might be a little bit better of an all-around linebacker now but I think in the long term Trotter has way more upside and plays with a lot more fire.
April 26th, 2026 at 10:03 am
The 49er’s run the same concepts with Kittle and McCaffery.
The Falcons have started to it as well with Bijan and Pitts.
Simple, but deadly.
April 26th, 2026 at 10:05 am
Ray Lewis use to get his highlights film from crushing dudes over the middle
He use to be like a hungry lion, and whoever caught the pass over the middle
Was his prey
April 26th, 2026 at 10:15 am
With Anzalone, Rozeboom, and Trotter the ILB room has been remade. SVD goes to special teams where he will do well.
Good draft – now we have a pass rush to dismantle QBs like Cousins.
April 26th, 2026 at 10:18 am
Reuben Bain, Trotter and Scott are all monsters in the box against the run. That’s not an accident.
April 26th, 2026 at 10:32 am
Lakeland Dreadnoughts has a great program. Specifically under coach Bill Castle during the Pouncy twin years. They held the #1 in the nation a few years. Urban Meyer when at Florida dubbed them GaterNaughts. I believe Castle was hired specifically to beat Winter Haven High. But took it to a whole new level. Only local teams that could hang with Lakeland was Kissimmee Oceola and Wiener at Plant. St.Thomas Aquinas was always there waiting.
April 26th, 2026 at 10:49 am
Belle, do you not think the coach and GM considered the scenario you mentioned? And this is conjecturing that trotter starts out of the gate. As mentioned, rozeboom seemed to handle that well when he was on the Panthers. I’m sure they have a plan. Yes, coach has made some bone-headed decisions in the past as have all coaches. But I have to think they considered the one scenario you keep repeating as part of their evaluation.
April 26th, 2026 at 10:52 am
When you win at the line of scrimmage, anyone can play LB…