{"id":263413,"date":"2026-01-21T16:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T21:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=263413"},"modified":"2026-01-21T16:20:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T21:20:04","slug":"josiah-trotter-2026-nfl-draft-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/01\/21\/josiah-trotter-2026-nfl-draft-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Josiah Trotter 2026 NFL Draft Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Josiah Trotter is an old-school linebacker with a special blend of power and processing skills. With just 24 games at the college level, projecting will be a key part of the evaluation process for NFL scouts. This article will highlight Josiah Trotter and his 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/01\/17\/avieon-terrell-2026-nfl-draft-early-scouting-report\/\" target=\"_self\">NFL Draft<\/a> Profile.<\/p>\n<h2>2026 NFL Draft Profile Of Missouri LB Josiah Trotter<\/h2>\n<h3>Measurables<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Height: 6\u20192\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Weight: 237 lbs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Player Background<\/h3>\n<p>As a <a  href=\"https:\/\/247sports.com\/player\/josiah-trotter-46100767\/high-school-249845\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three-star recruit<\/a> out of St. Joseph\u2019s Prep High School, Josiah Trotter was the 44th-ranked linebacker in the country and a top-ten player in the state of Pennsylvania. He committed to West Virginia University during the 2023 recruiting cycle, despite receiving offers from <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/01\/20\/ohio-state-turns-to-2026\/\" target=\"_self\">Ohio State<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/01\/11\/notre-dames-running-back-room-for-2026\/\" target=\"_self\">Notre Dame,<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/12\/21\/oregon-takes-care-of-james-madison\/\" target=\"_self\">Oregon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>After redshirting his freshman year due to a severe leg injury, Trotter broke out in 2024. He not only led the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/tag\/west-virginia-mountaineers\/\" target=\"_self\">Mountaineers<\/a> with 92 total tackles but was named <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/01\/13\/85052-cfb-coaches-opt-not-to-fix-their-sport-at-afca-convention\/\" target=\"_self\">Big 12<\/a> Defensive Freshman of the Year. Following his breakout campaign, Trotter became an impact transfer after landing at the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/tag\/missouri-tigers\/\" target=\"_self\">University of Missouri<\/a>. He started 12 games for the Tigers and was named First Team All-SEC after finishing in the top five in total tackles and tackles for loss within the conference.<\/p>\n<h3>Accolades<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>First Team All-SEC (2025)<\/li>\n<li>Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year (2024)<\/li>\n<li>Freshman All-American (2024)<\/li>\n<li>Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (2024)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Best Tools<\/h3>\n<p>Trotter pairs elite processing with exceptional awareness. He is a force to be reckoned with when defending the run. His 7.4% career missed tackle rate allows him to fly downhill and trust his technical refinement as a tackler. Trotter quickly maps out the most efficient path to the ballcarrier, and there are points in time where he beats offensive linemen to their marks. There aren\u2019t many linebacker prospects in this draft class better at controlling the line of scrimmage and recognizing plays before they happen.<\/p>\n<p>Exceptionally strong in his lower half, Trotter can hold the line of scrimmage consistently and protect the edge against outside runs. He possesses powerful hands that help him shed blocks and disrupt receivers at the line of scrimmage. Trotter is more explosive working downhill and in short areas than sideline-to-sideline, but his athleticism is more than ideal for today\u2019s NFL.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_263508\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-263508\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/USATSI_27599766-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-263508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/USATSI_27599766-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/USATSI_27599766-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/USATSI_27599766-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/USATSI_27599766-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/USATSI_27599766-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/USATSI_27599766-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/USATSI_27599766-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-263508\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nov 15, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen (2) drops back to pass as Missouri Tigers linebacker Josiah Trotter (40) defends during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Tools to Improve<\/h3>\n<p>As instinctual and aware as Trotter is against the run, the same can\u2019t be said when he\u2019s in coverage. Quarterbacks know he has a tendency to bite on play action and RPO plays, which forces him out of position over the middle of the field. In zone coverage, he isn\u2019t disciplined enough. Trotter is too quick to vacate his middle zone for underneath routes and doesn\u2019t have great feel or range.<\/p>\n<p>Although Trotter has good athleticism, this is something the opposing offense can expose. In man coverage reps downfield, he struggles to stay with running backs and other receivers. Underneath, he has trouble recognizing routes in the flat, and given his lack of lateral quickness, he can allow big chunks of yardage down the sideline. The lack of experience in pass defense is evident on tape.<\/p>\n<h3>NFL Projection<\/h3>\n<p>The team drafting Josiah Trotter will get an immediate impact defender, especially against the run. With more experience in both zone and man coverage, he will only get better in terms of feel and anticipation. The floor is an incredibly smart run defender who can contribute on early downs, while the ceiling for Trotter is a true three-down linebacker. Athletic testing is going to be important for him, but every team should be lining up for a linebacker prospect with this kind of production and IQ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Josiah Trotter brings memories of a throwback linebacker with an infusion of short-area quickness and elite awareness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5437,"featured_media":263509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,33760,1],"tags":[34055],"class_list":["post-263413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-profiles","category-uncategorized","tag-josiah-trotter"],"modified_by":"Sue Levine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5437"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263413"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":263510,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263413\/revisions\/263510"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}