Background

Josiah Trotter was born on April 15, 2005, the son of Jeremiah Trotter Sr. and the late Tammi Trotter. Jeremiah Trotter Sr. was a four-time Pro Bowl and two-time All-Pro linebacker. He played 11 NFL seasons with the Eagles, Washington, and Buccaneers. Before that, he had a two-time First-Team All-American career at Stephen F. Austin. The Eagles inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2016. His older brother, Jeremiah Jr., was a two-time All-American at Clemson and a fifth-round pick by the Eagles in 2024 who won Super Bowl LIX. Josiah attended Saint Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia. A four-star recruit, he committed to West Virginia but tore his ACL during spring practices and did not play as a true freshman in 2023. He bounced back as a redshirt freshman starter in 2024, collecting 93 tackles, 4 TFL, an interception, and 2 pass deflections, earning Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. For 2025, he transferred to Missouri and immediately started all 12 games in the SEC, recording 84 tackles, 13 TFL, and 2 sacks, and was named First-Team All-SEC by the league's coaches. He turned just one week before the draft. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Physical Attributes

Trotter did not take part in the combine or his pro day because of rehab from a knee injury suffered in November that required surgery, outside of 27 bench press reps. He stands a shade under 6'2" and weighs 237 lbs. He has real power in his game, whether it be his upper or lower body, and combines it with very good straight-line speed, and more average agility and lateral quickness.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my LB radar charts, you can find more information here

Let's get this out of the way: Trotter is horrible in coverage. When he drops into the zone, the defense looks like it is playing with 10 players. QBs either move him way too much or not at all with their eyes, whichever is wrong in the situation. He then has no feel for where receivers or his teammates are around him. He appears to be guessing blindly, and opponents will exploit him at the next level. To become a slight minus, he needs a ton of improvement.

Outside of that admittedly large part of the modern game for a LB, Trotter is very good. One of my favorite parts of his game is what he offers as a pass rusher. It is a great way to mitigate his poor coverage skills. When the ball is snapped, he fires downhill and hunts for gaps. If he does not find one, he can detonate against a linemen and push them staggering back into the pocket. The power he transfers from his base into his hands is elite.

That same ability shows up in the run game. Blockers have a hard time getting their hands on him because of how much pushoff he can get on the blocker. There were multiple occsasions on the tape that he made pulling linemen at full sprint move backwards.

Trotter's identification of where the run is going needs more work. He loves firing down, and that can get him chasing down culdasacs of blockers where he has to fight through to make a play. Though, because he comes down so hard, he is a TFL magnet and creates explosive splash plays for his defense.

As a tackler, Trotter is fine. What lett's him down the most are the routes he takes to the ball carrier. In space he takes extra steps that add onto the time it takes to get to the ball carrier, and can leave him behind where he thought he would meet the player, leading to a missed lunge. Wraps up well if he has his arms on you though.

Grade and Outlook

Trotter profiles as an old-fashioned downhill run-stopping linebacker. Those players still have a place in today's NFL, but the same traits that made his dad an All-Pro will leave Josiah a valuable, but limited player on a modern NFL roster. Though at just 21, he has a lot of room to grow.

Grade: 5.2 (3rd Rounder)