Hardy Nickerson Endorses Josiah Trotter
June 9th, 2026
Bucs rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter.
There’s a knock on the Buccaneers’ young second-round draft pick.
Josiah Trotter recently turned 21 years old and the All-SEC linebacker is said to have issues in pass coverage.
Is it a fair criticism? Maybe. But it’s also fair to say Trotter is still learning and he wasn’t asked to cover a ton of pass catchers in college. So he’ll have to develop those skills. Stil, Trotter was an All-SEC linebacker (coaches’ choice) last season at the University of Missouri. That’s no small feat.
Arguably the second-best linebacker in Bucs history, Hardy Nickerson, was asked about Trotter during his visit to The Sports Web last weekend.
“He’s got the traits and you can best believe that’s not going to be the issue with him,” Nickerson said of Trotter, after acknowledging a young linebacker can learn to cover in the NFL. “He’s going to be a ballplayer based on his pedigree.”
Trotter is the son of four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. Nickerson coached in the NFL and college and now is a high school head coach in California.
Pedigree often matters. Trotter, like Antoine Winfield, Jr., is likely a rookie beyond his years. Winfield’s dad was a three-time Pro Bowler at cornerback, and young Winfield was a key rookie cog of the Super Bowl champion Bucs of the 2020 season.
Joe’s biggest wonder is how long it will take to get young Trotter up to speed.
The Bucs, under Todd Bowles, are not known for developing young inside linebackers. And Trotter does not have Devin White’s raw skills.