Discusses Devin White.

There were signs earlier this year that Bucs inside linebacker Devin White was getting the hang of his NFL thing.

Last year as a rookie he was terrific against the run, not all that impressive on the blitz and pass defense was his lone liability.

But around midway through this season, White started flashing on blitzing the quarterback. In the playoffs, White has done very well against the pass. Just ask Drew Brees.

And since returning from a two-week forced-hibernation due to The Sickness, White has been Derrick Brooks-like. He’s all over the place.

White and his newfound dominance on defense is a big reason why the Bucs are in Super Bowl LV. White is demonstrating why the Bucs selected him at No. 5 overall in the 2019 draft.

Who would know better about linebacker play than Brooks himself, types Jim Trotter of NFL.com.

“This young man was drafted to come in and make impact plays — that’s what he did at LSU — and you’re starting to see his game expand to where he’s using that speed to go sideline to sideline,” says Derrick Brooks, the Hall of Fame linebacker and Tampa Bay resident. “He’s understanding what zone spacing is in a zone defense. He’s always been a great blitzer and understanding that component of it because he’s a former running back.

“But now, really the last six weeks, Coach Bowles has positioned him and he’s adjusted his game to where now he can use that speed as an asset because he’s understanding zone spacing. You see that with the interceptions that he has gotten. He’s going to continue to get better because he definitely has the big-play ability, and at the same time, Lavonte David complements him well.”

Throw in NFL sack king Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul. and name a better four-man linebacker crew. Maybe Pittsburgh. Maybe.

With David and White prowling the middle, Vita Vea playing in front of them and Antoine Winfield behind them, the middle of the field is a no-fly zone for opposing offenses.

If White can continue his play in the Super Bowl, and maybe make a Brooks-like pick-six to win the game, he may be knighted as perhaps the best inside linebacker in the game.