That Lavonte David was featured on the NFL’s top-100 list isn’t surprising. But what is a little interesting is how much praise the Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker received from division-rival Bijan Robinson.
The Atlanta Falcons‘ star running back spoke glowingly about David in an NFL Films video interview after David was unveiled as the No. 96 player on the NFL’s annual top-100 list.
David moved up three spots from No. 99, which is where he was ranked on the 2024 ideation of the list. He is about to enter his 14th NFL season, entirely spent with the Buccaneers, and is the leader among active NFL players in solo tackles (1,111).
What Did Bijan Robinson Say About Lavonte David?
Robinson, the eighth pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, is coming off a career year where he posted 1,887 yards from scrimmage, 1,456 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns and made his first Pro Bowl Games.
So Robinson has earned the respect of the NFL. But he respects the Bucs’ veteran middle linebacker more than he can even say.
“I respect the mess out of him,” Robinson said. “The dude is athletic, and he has not lost his athleticism.”
To Robinson’s point, David is coming off a season where he had 122 tackles, five-and-a-half sacks, six passes defended, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception in his age-34 season — he turned 35 on Jan. 23.
“Every time I play against him, I have to study every move [and] instinct that he does,” Robinson said.
All that earned him a one-year, $9 million deal from the Buccaneers to play the same sideline-to-sideline game where he can make tackles and cover running backs like the 23-year-old Robinson.
“On some routes he’s still running with me,” said Robinson, who ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the 2023 combine. “I’m like ‘bro, how are you here? I was like five yards past you,’ and he just like casually comes up.”
What Did Other Rivals Say About Lavonte David?
Robinson wasn’t the only NFC South rival spewing praise for the vet.
Jameis Winston, a former Bucs quarterback who also played for the New Orleans Saints before signing with the New York Giants this off-season, was excited he doesn’t have to play against David anymore while comparing him to another former NFC South all-time linebacker great.
“Any time you got a linebacker that’s playing 10-plus years in the league, you got to obviously look at their intelligence,” Winston said. “He is Luke Kuechly-like in terms of calling out plays and getting everybody lined up.
“I was definitely grateful to be on his team.”
Winston’s former Saints teammate Rashid Shaheed also spoke glowingly of David, while praising him for his accomplishments despite teams game planning to slow him down.
“Smart. Super savvy,” Shaheed said. “He’s everywhere, and he’s a guy we talk about throughout the entire week. ‘Keep our eyes on this guy’ because he can make a lot of plays.”
Alexander Mattison, the Miami Dolphins running back who has played for the Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders previously, echoed Shaheed’s statements about game planning against the vet.
“The game plan is built around keeping him out of the game,” Mattison said.
Yet, the highest praise came from David’s longtime teammate, Bucs tackle Triston Wirfs, who informed fans of David’s impressive speed while offering the highest praise.
“He clocked 19.5 miles per hour chasing down [Washington Commanders quarterback] Jayden Daniels to push him out of bounds [during the NFC wild-card playoff],” Wirfs said. “19.5 miles per hour at 35 years old. That’s insane.
“He’s going to wear a gold [Hall of Fame] jacket. He has to.”
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