It’s always interesting when the son of a former NFL player enters the draft. That’s the case here with linebacker Josiah Trotter from Missouri.
The name likely rings a bell for New York Giants fans, as his father, Jeremiah Trotter, was a long time nemesis of the Giants. The elder Trotter played 12 seasons in the NFL, most of which came with the Philadelphia Eagles. Now it’s time for Josiah to enter the League, and he does so hoping to outshine his father’s All Pro and Pro Bowl legacy.
Prospect: Josiah Trotter (40)
Games Watched: vs. South Carolina (2025), vs. Alabama (2025), vs. Oklahoma (2025)
Red Flags: none
Measurables
Height: 6-foot-2 (unofficial)
Weight: 240 (unofficial)
Strengths
Best traits
- Run defense
- Instincts
- Explosiveness
- Tackling
- Twitch
- Power
Josiah Trotter is a densely built and explosive linebacker prospect. He is a twitchy athlete with good short-area quickness and great play strength to take on and defeat blocks when he uncoils his hips.
Trotter shows great football IQ and instincts when playing downhill in the run game. He routinely makes an accurate first move toward the play in run defense and shows a clear understanding of blocking schemes. Trotter wastes little time making his run fits and approaches gaps like a running back. His explosiveness allows him to shoot gaps and blow up plays in the backfield, while also being agile enough to negotiate the trash and scrape laterally in pursuit.
Trotter has enough play strength to take on blocks from offensive lineman, with enough power to stack and shed to make plays on the ball.
He has the upside to be a true MIKE in the NFL, showing good communication skills and the ability to get his teammates lined up on the pre-snap phase.
Trotter’s traits suggest untapped upside as a blitzing linebacker, though he wasn’t often used as such in college.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Pass defense
- Long speed
- Coverage
Trotter’s greatest weakness is, easily, in pass defense.
As instinctive, explosive, and all-around skilled as he is as a run defender, the opposite is true in pass defense. Trotter’s twitchy athleticism and football IQ suggest upside in that area, however it has yet to materialize.
He appears uncomfortable and unsure of himself when dropping into coverage zones. He can be prone to losing track of offensive players or needing to wait until he sees the play develop to move toward the ball. Likewise, his short-area quickness can serve to quickly take him out of position when he bites on misdirection or mis-reads the play. Trotter also has limited long speed, leading to limited range in coverage and he can quickly have his pursuit angles broken by athletic receivers in space.
Game Tape
(Trotter is the Missouri linebacker wearning number 40.)
Projection
Josiah Trotter will likely begin his career as an early down and short-yardage linebacker, as well as a special teams player.
Trotter has the potential to be a three-down, and starting, linebacker in the NFL. However, he will need to make significant improvements in his pass coverage before teams trust him on neutral or passing downs. That could limit his draft stock, though his interviews and board work could convince teams to bet on his upside with a relatively high pick.
Does he fit the Giants? Possibly
Final Word: An early Day 3 or later Day 2 pick
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