Grading each selection of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2021 NFL Draft

K.J. Britt, Linebacker, Auburn

Grade: B-

I mentioned above that they needed an interior defensive lineman and they didn’t address that with this pick either. Britt will be in the Jack Cichy role as the fourth linebacker behind LaVonte David, Devin White, and Kevin Minter. He will also be relied upon to make plays on special teams in 2021.

It’s a solid pick for the Bucs because if he ends up being a great player, they can use him to replace Minter or maybe David and still have a low cap number on him while having to pay Devin White top linebacker money in a year. Cichy dealt with a lot of injuries over his career and moving on from him and replacing him with Britt will likely help Tampa in the long run because the best ability is availability in the NFL.

Overall, I liked the pick for the fifth round because they needed depth and potential spot starter in a couple of years and they won’t have to break the bank for a replacement for David in two years if Britt pans out. Plus, Britt comes from Auburn, which the last couple of defensive draft picks from Auburn, Davis, and Jamel Dean, for the Bucs ended up being solid starters on a championship defense.