He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, twice earning All-American honors, and was selected by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft.

A native of Miami, Florida, David attended Northwestern High School,[1][2] where he was a teammate of Marcus Forston, Anthony Gaitor, Jacory Harris, Sean Spence, Tommy Streeter, and Brandon Washington.

David racked up 12 tackles, including sacking Newton on the game's final defensive play, before Fort Scott lost on a punt return for a touchdown.

He earned Defensive Rookie of the Month in November and became the first member of the Buccaneers to win the award after amassing a league-leading 47 combined tackles in four games.

He intercepted a pass by Broncos' quarterback Peyton Manning, that was originally intended for tight end Jacob Tamme, and returned it for a 27-yard gain in the third quarter.

[26] In Week 14, he recorded nine combined tackles and made his first career sack on quarterback Nick Foles during the third quarter of a 23–21 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

[27] David started all 16 games at weakside linebacker in 2012 and led the Buccaneers with 139 combined tackles (112 solo), while also making five pass deflections, two sacks, and an interception.

[31] David received a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness, giving the New York Jets the necessary distance for Nick Folk to make a 48-yard game-winning field goal.

He earned the safety after he tackled running back Daniel Thomas in the endzone for a one-yard loss in the second quarter.

[33] In Week 12, he collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (nine solo), a pass deflection, and an interception in the Buccaneers' 23–21 victory at the Detroit Lions.

On December 8, 2013, David made nine combined tackles, two pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack during a 27–6 win against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14.

[34] He started all 16 games in 2013 and recorded 145 combined tackles (107 solo), ten pass deflections, a career-high seven sacks, five interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a safety.

[41] On October 2, 2014, David collected a season-high 14 combined tackles (ten solo) and a pass deflection during a 37–31 loss at the New Orleans Saints.

On November 16, 2014, David made 13 combined tackles (eight solo) before exiting in the fourth quarter of a 27–7 victory at the Redskins due to an injury.

In Week 11, he made six solo tackles, two pass deflections, two interceptions, and scored his first career touchdown during the Buccaneers' 45–17 victory at the Eagles.

David intercepted a screen pass by quarterback Mark Sanchez, that was originally intended for running back Darren Sproles, and returned it for a 20-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

[50] He finished the season with a career-high 147 combined tackles (85 solo), 13 pass deflections, three interceptions, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts.

Koetter chose to replace defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier with former Atlanta Falcons' head coach Mike Smith.

[55] On December 4, 2016, David recorded three combined tackles, a season-high two pass deflections, and returned an interception for a touchdown as the Buccaneers defeated the Chargers 28–21.

David intercepted a pass by Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers, that was initially intended for wide receiver Tyrell Williams, and returned it for a 15-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

[57] David started all 16 games in 2016 and recorded a career-low 87 combined tackles (67 solo), five sacks, four passes defensed, four forced fumbles, one interception, and a touchdown.

[35] David struggled in his first year under defensive coordinator Mike Smith's new scheme and received an overall grade of 77.6 from Pro Football Focus in 2016.

[59] In Week 2, David made nine combined tackles and recovered a fumble by quarterback Mike Glennon, which set up the Buccaneers on an eventual touchdown scoring drive in their 29–7 victory against the Chicago Bears.

[60] On September 24, 2017, David made seven combined tackles before he was carted off the field in the third quarter of the Buccaneers' 34–17 win at the Vikings in Week 3.

[63] In Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns, David recorded a team-high eight tackles and forced a fumble on rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield during the 26–23 overtime win.

[69] In the following week's game against the Seattle Seahawks, David recorded eight tackles and his first and only sack of the season on Russell Wilson during the 40–34 overtime loss.

In the same month, the linebacker also visited youth at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg and sang holiday carols to residents at Westminster Palms retirement home in December 2012.