Last week the Tampa Bay Buccaneers said a fond farewell to a franchise legend. Linebacker Lavonte David decided to retire after a brilliant 14 year career. There is no doubt that he is one of the all time great players in franchise history and if there’s any justice in this world then he’ll be a Hall of Famer.
This leaves behind a big hole in the defense. While this news isn’t unexpected, it won’t be easy to replace David’s leadership and intelligence. So far the Bucs have brought in a few veterans to help make up for that loss.
However, the Buccaneers will still need to look for a long term answer at linebacker. And while it’s impossible for a rookie to replace David, they’ll likely want a similar skill set. Somebody fast, physical, intelligent and good in coverage.
I believe there are a lot of linebackers that fit some of that. Georgia’s CJ Allen is very smart. Missouri’s Josiah Trotter is very physical. Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis is very good in coverage.Â
New York
But if I’m looking for someone who checks all of the boxes then there is one name that is easy for me to circle. That player is my third ranked linebacker, but he isn’t being talked about as one of the top linebackers in the draft. Let’s hope that the Buccaneers are targeting the best linebacker that isn’t being talked about.
That player is Texas A&M linebacker Taurean York. York is a three year starter for the Aggies, including his freshman year when he was first team Southeastern Conference All Freshman. He has been a consistent producer at the highest level of college football and he did that mostly as a teenager.
The first thing that stands out to me is York’s football intelligence. This is one of the most intelligent and aware linebackers I’ve watched this year. He excels at reading blocks picking his way through traffic to bring down the ball carrier.
This also applies to what York does in coverage. Whether it be man or zone coverage, this is a player who looks very natural. He gets to his spot well and would be an immediate upgrade to what the Bucs currently have.
We don’t know exactly what kind of athlete York is. He looks quick and fluid on tape, although his top end speed might not be top tier. What we do know is that York is strong. He had the second highest total for bench press among all linebackers at the combine.Â
This gives York so many of the skills that we loved about Lavonte David. Smart, quick, physical. However, he also shares the big shortcoming that David had when he was coming out of college. In fact, York is a much bigger concern in that way.
Size Matters
This is an issue revolving around size. York is small for an NFL linebacker. He measured in at the combine at just over 5 ‘10 and 226 lbs. This is even smaller than David was in 2012 (6 ‘0 and 233 lbs) who was considered undersized at the time.
To me, this isn’t a huge issue. Yes, he can get pushed around by offensive linemen if they get their hands on him. That was true of David as well; you typically want these types of weakside linebackers to avoid those blocks and make plays.Â
We know that the Bucs have some level of interest here. York met with the team at the NFL combine. And as York is someone who has very high football character, I’d be very surprised if the team didn’t walk away very impressed with the Texas A&M two time captain.Â
Again, no one will ever replace Lavonte David with the Buccaneers. But if you’re looking for the same prototype, York checks all the boxes. I find this to be a very natural match.
At this point, I’d expect York to be drafted in round three or later. But if he were two inches taller and 4 lbs heavier then I believe most would view him as a better prospect than CJ Allen (the third ranked linebacker for most analysts). That’s why I believe that York is the best linebacker that isn’t being talking about.
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