Lavonte David Evaluated As Fifth-Best Inside Linebacker In NFC, Ahead Of Bobby Wagner

The tide may be turning when it comes to Lavonte David’s image.

The iconic Bucs linebacker hasn’t gotten enough respect through the years. Some people used to blame a lack of exposure playing for the sad Bucs, but that all changed in 2020. The Bucs have been regulars in primetime and in the postseason for five years. So that take is now flat wrong or, at best, outdated.

Nowadays, David is routinely lauded as a future Hall of Famer, whether that be various Barstool Sports shows, or Pete Prisco of CBS, or Kay Adams on FanDuel TV, or Adam Schein on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio, and more.

Today, David was lauded by a combination of an anonymous 70 NFL executives, coaches and scouts as the seventh-best NFL inside linebacker. This came via the annual survey conducted by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com to find the best 10 players at every position.

7. Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 35 | Last year’s ranking: Honorable mention

 

David outdistanced his accomplished mid-30s peers with a banner season in Tampa, finishing with 5.5 sacks (his highest total since 2013) and three forced fumbles.

“Been durable, has great instincts and his physical tools haven’t eroded much with age. Freak of nature,” a high-ranking AFC personnel man said.

A few years ago, some voters thought David was approaching the end. But he has remained productive and just re-signed on a one-year, $9-million contract with the Buccaneers. He still has the fluidity to handle himself in pass coverage.

“I think he was finally healthy [last year] — played through some issues the last few years but was freed up to make plays,” an NFL offensive coach said. “He can still go at a high level. So tough.”

David’s vote total ranked him as fifth-best in the NFC, in between Tremaine Edmunds (Bears) and DeMarvion Overshown (Cowboys).

Joe was very impressed that David was unranked in the top-10 of the survey last year but busted all the way up to No. 7 this year. Also, it’s worth noting that always-hyped Bobby Wagner was an honorable mention vote-getter, garnering comments about his declining skills.