TAMPA, Fla -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie safety Justin Evans had no idea who linebacker Lavonte David was before he arrived in Tampa. It didn't take him long at all to learn who No. 54 was though -- the weakside linebacker flying from sideline to sideline in a flash, who was never out of position and rarely, if ever, missed a tackle.

"When I was in college, I only kept up with the players they talked about [on TV]. So of course I knew who Luke Kuechly was, but I didn't know who Lavonte David was. When I got here, I'm like, 'How does no one know who Lavonte David is? He's clearly better than [everyone].'"

Now Evans gushes over him all the time to his family, his close friends and anybody else who will listen. That's who Evans strives to be like every day. That's who inspires him to play his position. That's his role model.

"He's the greatest player ever. Like I'm not just saying that he's one of the best because he's on my team, but he's definitely one of the best linebackers in the NFL," Evans said. "How people see Luke Kuechly is how I see Lavonte."

Added safety T.J. Ward, whose locker is right next to Evans' and just a few over from David's: "I'm gonna say that he is the best."

"He's the best linebacker in the league. That's why I came here -- one of the reasons," said Ward, who won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos in 2015 and signed with the Bucs just before the start of the 2017 season.

In seven games this season, David has notched a league-leading four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Those numbers might even be higher had David not missed two games with an ankle injury.

"A linebacker that does that, I have never [seen that]," said Ward. "He gets to the ball, he rarely misses tackles, he gets the ball back -- he punches the ball out better than anybody I've ever seen. Forced fumbling, he just has a knack for it."

By comparison, Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks, who played David's same position in Tampa -- his career-high was five forced fumbles in 2000. He had four fumble recoveries in his entire career. With 16 forced fumbles in six seasons, David is well on his way to besting Brooks' 24 career forced fumbles.

David's season has been one of the true bright spots during an otherwise disappointing 3-6 season. And because the team's not winning and David is such a quiet guy by nature, it hurts him this time of year, when Pro Bowl voting starts.

"I think what hurts a guy like Lavonte is the fan vote," said Ward, a three-time Pro Bowler. "If you're not on national TV all the time, the fans don't get to see you so they don't know much about you. Small markets, markets that aren't on 'Monday Night Football' or 'Sunday Night Football' every week, it's hard for fans to see those great players that are playing."

Granted, teammate Gerald McCoy has been to the Pro Bowl five times now, but his larger-than-life personality, coupled with the fact that he was a top-five draft pick and his outstanding play -- it's meant far more TV time outside of games themselves.

Take 2013, for instance. David was named an Associated Press first-team All-Pro but wasn't even voted in as an alternate for the Pro Bowl despite posting five interceptions -- the same number Brooks had in 2002 when he won NFL Defensive Player of the Year -- a whopping 7.0 sacks and 144 tackles, 106 of them solo.

David has also been hurt over the years by 4-3 and 3-4 linebackers not being separated in the voting, with some believing that sacks are sexier statistic than tackles.

David finally got his opportunity to go to the Pro Bowl in 2015, getting to take his mother Lynette to Hawaii. She passed away unexpectedly in March of 2016. Her picture still hangs in his locker. She was and still is his "pride and joy," his purpose for coming to work every day and quietly chiseling away at his craft, his reason for fighting through the injuries he did last season, ones he never spoke about.

"He faced adversity and last year may not have been his best year, but one thing I know about Lavonte -- he's going to give me everything he's got," McDonald said. "I love watching [him] play. He's not compromised by the situation, nor the adversity. He goes out and plays hard each and every play and it brings a certain energy to the defense, to see him go out there and execute the way he does."

Whether the fans or players around the league recognize him or not, it doesn't in any way diminish the value he brings to his own team.

"He is not just my teammate. I've said this numerous times, I have three favorite players in the NFL [and] he's been one of them since 2012. I love him. He's great. He's so good," said McCoy. "I could talk about him all day because I love him as a person [and] as a player. He is my favorite."