#40

Josiah Trotter

Former linebacker at Missouri. 2025: 84 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.

LB · Missouri · So. · #40

6′2″ · 237 lb · Philadelphia, PA

CFB Index 70 · #121 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamDrafted by Tampa Bay — Rd 2, Pick 14, #46 overall

How he plays

Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.

Tackles for loss: 98th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

tackles · 2025

13 TFL · 2 sacks · 1 PBU

Best game: 8 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sacks, at Auburn

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former linebacker at Missouri. 2025: 84 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to West Virginia in 2023.
Transferred from West Virginia to Missouri in 2025.
Drafted round 2 by the Tampa Bay in 2026.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Two seasons at Missouri, 177 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2025) — drafted at #46 overall by Tampa Bay.

His career

He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.

2023

Signed with West Virginia3-star out of St. Joseph's Prep

202412 games

Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Yearwinner

202512 games

Entered the portal
All-SECfirst

2026

Drafted by Tampa Bayround 2, pick 46

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#521 national

CFB

College

2 teams

2024–2025

NFL

NFL Draft

R2 · #46

Tampa Bay · 2026

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors · 1 category

🥈

ALL-SEC · 1ST TEAM

All-SEC 1st team (2025)

Where He Ended Up · NFL

Tampa Bay2026 NFL rookie season

#46Rd 2 · Pick 14

Tampa Bay2026 NFL rookie season

View college career stats ↓

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2024West Virginia6-7HC: Chad Scott · Run-leaning

2025Missouri8-5HC: Eli Drinkwitz · Run-heavy

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

70Quality starter #121 of 583?

High confidence6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: tackles for loss (98th percentile). Strength: qb hurries (97th percentile).

Box-score production (6)

Tackles for loss#42 / 2975 · 98th pct

13.0

QB hurries#69 / 2975 · 97th pct

Tackles#114 / 2975 · 96th pct

Solo tackles#156 / 2975 · 95th pct

Sacks#487 / 2975 · 80th pct

2.0

Passes defended#1191 / 2975 · 48th pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home8g	5.5	0.9	0.0	0.1
Road4g	10.0	1.4	0.5	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	6.0	1.0	0.0	0.0
Weeks 8+6g	8.0	1.2	0.3	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Eli Drinkwitz

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

70 · #121 of 583 LBs

Three-star recruit. Now #121 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Missouri	84	43	13.0	2.0	1	--	--
2024	West Virginia	93	37	4.0	0.5	2	1	--
Career		177	80	17.0	2.5	3	1	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 8 · 2025

W 23–17

at Auburn

8 TOT · 7 SOLO · 1 SACKS

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 6 on the road.

With B. Pribula — 252 yds · 0 TD · 2 INT · QBR 76.4 · 28 rush yds (16 car) · 1 TD · C. Weselman — 46 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 52 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week