Jeremiah Trotter 'Still On Cloud 9' After Both Sons Reach NFL

Former NFL star Jeremiah Trotter now has two sons in the NFL after this year's draft ... and he tells TMZ Sports he wholeheartedly believes they'll both end up better than he ever was!!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Josiah Trotter in the second round on Friday after playing at West Virginia and Missouri in college ... joining his older bro, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Jr., in the league.

Trotter Sr. -- an Eagles Hall of Famer and All-Pro linebacker in his own right -- said he knew when his boys were young they were destined for the NFL ... and he's "truly blessed" to see it come true.

"I'm so grateful to God that he gave them the athletic ability, the body types, the work ethic, the character, which is most important," Trotter said.

Sr. told his boys ... "Forget about football, I'm proud of the young men you guys have become and the character young men you have become. And also, it means that the Trotter name means a lot to them."

Trotter's wife, Tammi, passed away from cancer in February 2023 ... but he knows exactly how she would have reacted to Friday's news.

"She'd be sitting on the other side of Josiah and just cheering, and elated. She was just the ultimate team mom. She would have been super proud."

In fact, Trotter prayed for this ... telling us, "I know what I prayed for, when their mom was pregnant, 'God, give them everything you gave me, just double it.'"

Trotter was one of the best in the game during his time ... but Jeremiah Jr. and Josiah?? They're the REAL stars to him.

"I've been telling them since they was little, that they were gonna be better than me and I believe that 1,000% that they both, both are gonna be better than me."

"I'm still on Cloud 9. My feet haven't hit the ground yet."