As difficult as it may be to believe, the 2026 NFL Draft is less than a month away, as the top college prospects across the land will start hearing their names called in Pittsburgh on Thursday, April 23.
This is obviously an extremely important draft for the Dallas Cowboys, particularly on the defensive side of the football. America's Team surrendered 511 points this past season, the most in franchise history and the sixth-most of any team in league history, which is why Jerry Jones fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and poached Christian Parker from the Philadelphia Eagles to replace him.
The goal now, of course, is to get Parker some new players, and a position that undoubtedly needs to be addressed is linebacker. And one such player Dallas recently hosted for a 30 visit just so happens to have deep ties to the aforementioned Eagles, that being Missouri's Josiah Trotter.
If that last name sounds familiar, it should, as the soon-to-be 21-year-old is the son of Jeremiah Trotter, who spent eight of his 11 NFL seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, earning four trips to the Pro Bowl and a pair of All-Pro selections, and is a member of the Eagles' Hall of Fame.
And, of course, that makes him the younger brother of Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who was selected by Philadelphia in the fifth round of the 2024 draft with the 155th overall pick.
So, the Cowboys adding Josiah could certainly add an entertaining new wrinkle to the Dallas-Philly rivalry. But there could be a problem with this scenario.
Josiah Trotter could be a strong addition, but the Dallas Cowboys might not be able to get him
The youngest Trotter of the bunch began his collegiate career at West Virginia in 2023 but was forced to take a redshirt year due to a knee injury.
But he bounced back nicely in 2024, earning Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors after racking up 92 total tackles, four tackles for loss, a pair of passes defended, and an interception.
Trotter then hit the transfer portal and found his way to Mizzou, with whom he earned First-Team All-SEC honors this past year after tallying 84 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, and a pass defended.
At 6-foot-2 and 237 pounds, Trotter has solid size, and Jerry Jones has to absolutely love him, as his biggest strength is his run defense. He's got a quick first step to close gaps, and his ability to read offensive schemes before the ball is snapped is outstanding.
Among 809 qualifying linebackers in 2025, his 89.2 PFF run-defense grade ranked 36th. And as an added bonus, he can put some pressure on the quarterback as well, as his 81.6 pass-rush grade ranked 35th.
When it comes to coverage, however, Trotter leaves a lot to be desired, as he allowed a 108.6 passer rating when targeted, which certainly played a part in his 47.9 coverage grade, which ranked 710th. When he's running downhill at rushers, he dominates. But when asked to move laterally to defend a receiver or a running back in space, he struggles.
From an overall standpoint, though, Trotter is a strong prospect. The issue is that Dallas may not be able to get him if the organization wants to go in that direction. He's not a first-round talent, so the Cowboys aren't going to take him with either of their two Day 1 picks.
But with no pick in the second round, he likely won't still be on the board when they go on the clock again in Round 3 at No. 92 overall.