Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Linebacker Ranked Top-5 in Poll Conducted by NFL Personnel

An annual survey conducted by ESPN saw both of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' dynamic linebackers mentioned, but only one ranked inside the top 10.

Each year during the offseason, ESPN polls an extensive list of NFL executives, scouts, and coaches, to develop rankings for each position in the league.  

This year, over 80 NFL personnel participated in the survey. 

Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't as hot of a ticket as they have been the past few seasons, they've still got plenty of talent on the roster.

READ MORE: Carlton Davis Says The NFL Is In For a Rude Awakening In 2023

And of all the position groups on the field, the most loaded position group on the team is quite possibly at off-ball linebacker. 

Led by the incredibly productive, and highly consistent veteran, Lavonte David, and the uber-athletic, highly talented, youngster, Devin White, the Buccaneers have one of the most dynamic linebacker duos in the league.

That said, only one of Tampa Bay's two stud linebackers was voted as Top-10 in the league, according to the ESPN Poll. 

That player was Devin White, who was ranked as the 5th best off-ball linebacker in the NFL. 

The write-up for White, which is put together by Jeremy Fowler, included some quotes from scouts and league personnel, who offered their opinions on the player who represents his own moniker 'Get Live 45', both on and off the field. 

According to one AFC scout, "He's a top-five talent that played outside of the top 10 last year," an AFC scout said.

"An NFC scout added that discipline and physicality appeared to be issues last year, and it's hard to crack the top five when that happens." 

Fowler offered some of his own analysis, too. "White is an elite blitzer, coming for the quarterback on 26.3% of his snaps and recording 5.5 sacks in 2022 -- 20.5 for his career. Some evaluators are still enamored with what could be." 

One veteran AFC personnel actually voted Devin White as the No. 1 off-ball linebacker in the NFL, saying "Sideline-to-sideline playmaking is elite. He's got the versatility to line up and play a variety of roles." 

The results of the top 5 were not overly surprising, with Fred Warner, Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edwards, and Matt Milano listed 1-4, just before White. 

What may be surprising to some is seeing Lavonte David left outside of the top 10. But as Bucs fans know all too well, Lavonte is maybe the most perennially underrated Buccaneer in the history of the franchise. 

I think Lavonte David, and the fans who support him, have almost become comfortable knowing he will more than likely continue to ball out on the field, as long as he continues to be slept on by the rest of the league, and especially the media.

It should be noted that David was the second player listed on the 'honorable mention' section of the article, just behind fellow veteran, Bobby Wagner. 

His mention included the following note: "Love Lavonte. Never seems to drop off," a national NFL scout said. "Still might be the best linebacker on his own team. I wish we would have signed him in free agency."

I think most Bucs fans are glad they didn't. 

You can read the entire article by Jeremy Fowler, here. 

---

READ MORE: Buccaneers Non-QB MVP Selected Due to ‘Toughness, Smarts, and Leadership’

Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook