Mina Kimes: Josiah Trotter Could Develop Into A Nick Bolton-Like Linebacker
May 5th, 2026
Interesting comp.
If Josiah Trotter turns into a linebacker on the level of this guy, he will go down as one of the more underrated draft selections by Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht.
The Bucs selected Trotter in the second round two weeks ago. He’s known as a ferocious run-defender but some doubt his pass defense. This “misnomer” bristled Bucs vice president of personnel Mike Biehl when he spoke about the draft after the third round.
Mina Kimes confessed on her podcast that she isn’t sure how well Trotter defends the pass. And Trotter was unknown to her until her BSPN colleague Field Yates tipped her off. Trotter’s film at Missouri, she said, reminded her of another former Missouri linebacker who is damn good against the run: Chiefs’ linebacker Nick Bolton.
“So, you know, I think [Trotter is] still developing,” Kimes said. “It’s funny, Field [Yates] turned me on to him. … I don’t know how flat high his ceiling is in terms of as a coverage linebacker.
“But I do think he has the ability to become like Nick Bolton. Not saying he is [Bolton]. That’s a comparable player. But I see some of those traits there. I think he could really help them against the run.”
Joe is a big Bolton fan. He led the SEC in tackles coming out in the 2021 draft and Joe had hoped the Bucs would draft him, but also realized that was unlikely since the Bucs had both Lavonte David and Devin White.
You don’t want a second-round pick to sit behind a log jam. You want the guy to play. And nobody in April 2021 saw White melting down to the degree the Bucs decided to let him walk after the 2023 season.
Bolton is a damn fine linebacker. He averages over eight tackles a game and maybe one of the more underrated linebackers.
If Trotter turns out to be another Bolton, the Bucs would have a really solid, dependable player to bank on.
May 5th, 2026 at 9:08 am
That is a solid comp actually. Optimally obviously. I’m almost more intrigued to see how he plays, since he will early and often, then. I am about Bain. Okay, maybe not as much as Bain.. really, really hoping for a revitalized defense with so many new players with different attitudes and juice.
May 5th, 2026 at 9:15 am
Trotter was in his first year in Mizzou. At first, he was a liability in coverage as he learned the defense. As the season wore on, he got better and better at it and was rock solid by the end of the year. This to go with the great tackling and downhill attacking of the run as well as great stack and shed ability against blockers and excellent instincts. He’s the total package and will get even better over time.
May 5th, 2026 at 9:22 am
His stats say he was a LOT better at it on the second half of the season vs the first
May 5th, 2026 at 9:31 am
Hopefully is ceiling is high. Hopefully he won’t be another Britt or Dennis. He is only 21. Their is a lot of upside and it sounds good that he improved over the year in college.
May 5th, 2026 at 9:32 am
The problem with the Bucs MIKE LB in coverage
They are mostly in man coverage on a RB
They are already at an disadvantage, against a RB
MIKE linebackers usually cover a zone, the middle of the field.
They drop 8-10 yards in coverage, keeping their eyes on the QB
Josiah Trotter coverage rate improved a lot last season, when he went into zone
You just can’t expect a 240 lbs MIKE LB to cover a 195 lbs RB
That’s not only dumb, it’s humanly impossible
May 5th, 2026 at 9:35 am
I’m not as down at this pick as some fans,I think it’s a solid pick. Bucs defense is going to be much improved. I also think the hurst pick was amazing as the bucs have three starting receivers that do pretty much the same thing and Ted gives them a true x receiver which is huge for the bucs offense. Time will tell how well this draft is but I’m excited about it go bucs.
May 5th, 2026 at 9:47 am
We’ve got Keionte Scott to chase down the ultra fast running backs and guide them out of bounds or flatten them. 🙂
May 5th, 2026 at 10:02 am
As long as he plays like Nick and not Michael.
May 5th, 2026 at 10:06 am
Pro & Con about Trotter is he’s still learning, and will now be learning at a pros’ pace. What works in his favor is having resources like his dad and older brother to help fortify him mentally.
It’s really ideal that we’ll have him lining up with Anzalone who can show him intentionally & by example, how to manage himself in coverage in the NFL.
May 5th, 2026 at 10:18 am
Playing for the genius, he will quickly remind everyone of KJ Britt.
May 5th, 2026 at 10:19 am
Josiah Trotter should be great in this defense
We have the big dawgs up front now
Last season we were small up front
With A’Shawn, Vita, Nacho up front, our linebackers will excel
May 5th, 2026 at 10:40 am
Young. Talented. Pedigree. 3 knee surgeries before his 21st birthday. Talk about a crapshoot. Fingers are crossed though. Could go either way, but I wouldn’t want to bet on it.
May 5th, 2026 at 11:18 am
@ Kenton
I agree.
It seems our GM doesn’t mind rolling the dice in the 2nd round.
Last draft – Ben-Mo.
This draft J-Trott.
1st round talent with past injury concerns…
Is this an indication that our GM is feeling the pressure to turn things around sooner rather than later? Is our GM and Head Coach both on the “hot-seat”?
May 5th, 2026 at 11:27 am
The Bucs are building for the present and future
That don’t sound like a regime that’s on the hot seat
It seems more like a regime that’s establishing a winning culture
And that will take a few years, but you can also win now
May 5th, 2026 at 11:40 am
@ Lakeland
I hope you are correct.
However – you can’t deny the fact – our GM has selected highly talented, injury prone players in the 2nd round the past two drafts.
I really hope at least one of these guys have a solid career in Tampa…
Time will tell.
May 5th, 2026 at 11:55 am
The Bucs seem to want a downhill thumper at the Mike. The draftniks were down on Trotter but the team clearly wasn’t. He may be rated higher on the team board than Rodriguez for team needs at Mike, with Rodriguez projecting more as a Will.
To see how the defense will play we can look back on White’s early days. In the first two or three years he was mainly downhill while LVD was more in coverage. While White was panned by the public for poor coverage the team may have been more annoyed at his freelancing.
May 5th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
Trotter’s ACL injury is his only major injury. High school MCL wasn’t a big deal. I believe he missed 4 games. The other one was described as minor. I’m not too concerned about his injury history. Bain had a MCL and missed four games in college with a soft tissue injury. Maybe we should have passed on him?
May 5th, 2026 at 12:45 pm
I wasn’t a big Trotter fan before the draft but after watching some tape the guy looks like a tackling machine. Of course these were only highlights but if he can become remotely like a Lavonte David it will prove to be a great draft selection. I’m really hoping he is the guy we are looking for.
May 5th, 2026 at 12:48 pm
Thanks Stanglassman for mentioning that.
Lots of MCL’s are not operated on. It seems like everyone is suggesting that his high school MCL was an operation.
Maybe so, but a quick check by me did not see anything mentioning an actual operation in high school.
My gosh, about 3 to 5 Bucs at least every year sustain an MCL injury that don’t have operations.
Actually found this: “Data from the NFL Combine medical records shows that among players with a documented history of MCL sprains, less than 5% required surgery. Another study found that only about 14 players out of over 2,200 evaluated required a surgical fix.”
And that leads me to the 2025 knee injury. Was that operated on either? He played the last game of the season with 10 tackles and 1 sack and 2 TFL. If he missed time in that game (did he) not much.
So, maybe he had a sore knee and used that for the “excuse” that he was not playing in the bowl game because he knew he was declaring for the draft.
Just wondering if it was just 1 surgery?
May 5th, 2026 at 12:49 pm
The Bucs have to use Trotter differently than they were using White, Britt and Dennis, or he’ll be on the outs next offseason and everyone will want a replacement when he’s exposed in coverage. Use him to the best of his ability, which is going to be as a 2-down run-first defender, who I think will do a decent job of blitzing – but in any case he should not be left to flail around in coverage unless he’s a lot better at it than expected (and that is possible, he’s a young guy without a huge number of snaps).
BTW, search for fans takes on Bolton, what do I read? A very good run stuffer who is slow, can’t keep up on runs to the sideline, “can’t cover a rock” and “looks like a defensive lineman when he drops in coverage.” But, it’s always worth remembering that most fans are morons that have no idea what they’re watching – still, it’s not what I was hoping to see.
May 5th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
I hope Bowles has learned his lesson about having guys like Britt, Dennis, and Anthony Nelson trying to cover anybody who is fast.
May 5th, 2026 at 1:44 pm
Joe … ‘Bolton is a damn fine linebacker. He averages over eight tackles a game and maybe one of the more underrated linebackers.’
Since Bolton has held the MLB job with the Kansas City Chiefs for 5 years, I agree with you Joe that ‘Bolton is a damn fine linebacker’. Never made All-Pro; never made the Pro Bowl, so does that mean that he’s ‘underrated’? He’s obviously great at tackling (Mina confirmed that so he must be), but his pass coverage skills leave something to be desired. He’s averaged 79.6% Pass Completion Percentage Allowed over his 5 years … 285 targets with 227 completions.
If I was Any Reid, I’d be more concerned about what I saw in 2025. Bolton signed a new 3-year contract prior to the 2025 season for $15 mil per year. All-in-all, I’d say that 2025 was Bolton’s worst year. He was in on an impressive 154 tackles in his 17 games (73 solo), but looks like he was picked on in pass coverage (targeted 85 times with 67 completions allowed for 78.8% and 592 passing yards allowed & 4 TDs). THAT doesn’t scream All-Pro.
Bolton & Trotter both went to Missouri, both played the LB position, they’re both known as good tacklers & both weigh 237 lbs. Beyond that, not sure how much alike the two are.
o Trotter is 6’2″ tall; Bolton is 5’11”.
o Trotter ran a 4.49 sec 40 at his Combine; Bolton ran a 4.60 sec 40 at his Pro Day.
o Trotter had a 39.5″ vertical (impressive); Bolton had a 32″ vertical.
Looking through a number of pre-draft analyses, here’s a summary of what I found on Josiah Trotter …
‘Trotter is known as a fast, aggressive, and “downhill” linebacker, noted for his “click and close” ability, meaning he quickly diagnoses plays and closes the gap on ball carriers. He’s described as having a “big, lengthy, athletic, twisty, and bendy linebacker build” with the ability to navigate through traffic and rush the passer. Trotter is highlighted as a high-upside player with strong instincts, particularly as a run defender, with his speed allowing him to contribute on day one.’
Instead of comparing him to this guy or that guy, I hope we’re all willing to wait until he actually takes his talents onto the field in real games & performs. Not interested in comparing him to his father or to his older brother (both of whom have NFL experience) nor anyone else. Much rather see if he can be the best version of himself.
May 5th, 2026 at 1:54 pm
Trotter is a hammer looking for a nail.
May 5th, 2026 at 1:59 pm
‘74 Bucs Fan Says:
May 5th, 2026 at 1:54 pm
Trotter is a hammer looking for a nail.
BINGO!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
May 5th, 2026 at 2:16 pm
JT was the only pick I didn’t like.
CJ Allen, Anthony Hill, Jake Golday
May 5th, 2026 at 2:34 pm
Bowles probably fell in love with Trotter and he was picked a little too early for me. Bowles remains a run-first DC and he wanted – and got – a downhill thumper. For me, this is a passing league and downhill thumpers are nearly dinosaurs.
Trotter should be pushed hard in camp to improve his coverage and let’s HOPE he is solid and not terrible like SVD. If Trotter struggles in coverage, he will be attacked – even in run downs.
May 5th, 2026 at 3:04 pm
I feel better about this kid after reading more re: coverage.
1st half of last season he was playing in a “different coverage defense than he’d ever played in before” His coverage grades improved as the season went on.
He has the physical attributes – just needs some time and coaching.
And he’s only 21 !
May 5th, 2026 at 5:13 pm
She sounds absolutely brilliant.
When will she be hired by the “brain trust” of Bowles and Bud Licht?
Any time I see the statement, “Mina Kimes says” my brain shuts off.
Now I understand why the opinions on this site are recycled the way they are.
Copy, paste, walk out, declare victory.
May 5th, 2026 at 6:35 pm
He’s a big MLB. And he ran a 4.45.
He’s exactly what this defense needs.
He runs a 4.45 guys.
With that kind of speed he can easily improve as a DB.
He will get coached up and get better at pass coverage.
KJ Britt ran a 4.7 guys. He was always near the guy who caught the ball.
But he was never fast enough to stop it.
KJ Britt was always in the right place.
Just a step too slow.
Trotter runs a 4.45. Thats faster than Mike Evans or Lavonte David.
Trotter was a great pick!
May 5th, 2026 at 8:29 pm
Not sure where you got 4.45 speed or vertical jump. From what I see Josiah did no athletic testing except bench which 27 is impressive. Not a lot of O line are even getting that.
May 5th, 2026 at 9:18 pm
Scott … ‘Not sure where you got 4.45 speed or vertical jump (for Josiah Trotter).’
Glad you checked that Scott. Went back and re-asked Google the question ‘How fast is Josiah Trotter?’ and it spit back the same answer … 4.49 sec speed in the 40 and a 38.5″ vertical jump at the Combine’. The source was 247Sports dated 2 Mar 2026.
On calling up that source & reading the article, I got taught a lesson about AI (it creates the summaries on my Macbook when I Google a question). AI did in fact attribute those numbers to Josiah Trotter, but at the Combine Trotter didn’t run. Those numbers actually belonged to Kevin Coleman Jr, a receiver.
The lesson is that you can’t just trust the AI summary; you really do have to read the actual article to make sure that AI isn’t misrepresenting the facts.