A Nebraska walk-on who converted from safety to linebacker, earned a breakout senior season, and has since bounced between Tampa Bay and Indianapolis.
John Bullock is a linebacker who took the long road from Nebraska walk-on to NFL roster spot, moving from safety to linebacker before a standout final college season. Undrafted in 2025, he made Tampa Bay's roster, briefly landed with the Colts on a waiver claim, and returned to the Buccaneers in 2026.
Path to the league
Bullock grew up in Omaha and was an all-metro defensive standout at Creighton Prep before walking on at Nebraska in 2019. After redshirting and playing special teams for several years, he moved to linebacker and was placed on scholarship in 2023. He went undrafted in 2025 and signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent.
Career highlights
Bullock's breakout came as a senior in 2024, when he started all 13 games and recorded 70 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a pick-six. That production earned him Nebraska's Cornhusker Award, given annually to the walk-on who makes the biggest contribution in his final season.
2025 season recap
Bullock made Tampa Bay's 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie and flashed in the preseason with a sack against Pittsburgh, appearing primarily on special teams and recording nine tackles through Week 15. He was waived by the Buccaneers on January 2, 2026, claimed by the Indianapolis Colts three days later, then released by Indianapolis in May before Tampa Bay re-signed him.
Sources
- Wikipedia: John Bullock (American football)
- ESPN: John Bullock
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
15 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | buccaneers | 15 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Nebraska
- Hometown
- Omaha, NE, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
