K.J. Britt 2021 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6’-0 ½”
Weight: 235 pounds
School: Auburn
K.J. Britt 2021 NFL Draft Profile
After spending the past five seasons blowing up running lanes at Auburn, linebacker K.J. Britt is looking to take his game to the professional level via the NFL Draft. Britt is a fun player to watch, which makes his 2020 injury all the more unfortunate. The linebacker suffered a season-ending thumb injury early in the season, limiting him to just 117 snaps on the season. During his limited playing time, Britt recorded 16 tackles, two assists, and two missed tackles.
K.J. Britt initially joined the collegiate football ranks as a four-star recruit. After agreeing to a scholarship with Auburn, the linebacker the majority of the next three seasons as a backup. In 2018, for example, Britt played in just 129 snaps while recording 13 tackles, five assists, and one missed tackle.
However, Britt finally earned a starting job as a Junior and put himself on the NFL radar. During the 2019 season, the linebacker played 541 snaps while recording 47 tackles, 24 assists, and 11 missed tackles. This was easily the best season of his career, and he probably wouldn’t receive NFL attention if it weren’t for this solid campaign.
Strengths
- Built like an absolute tank – cannot be stopped when going downhill;
- Old-school football player that can deliver some punishing hits;
- Makes sure running backs never fall forward after contact;
- Aggressive football player;
- Team captain and reportedly great locker room guy.
Weaknesses
- Cannot move laterally – goes forward or nowhere at all;
- Only good in the box – complete liability in coverage;
- Couldn’t earn a starting job until 2019;
- Cannot cover running backs in space;
- Slow player that doesn’t have the ability to chase down ball carriers;
- Always tries to power his way through blocks rather than slip.
NFL Comparison: Jonathan Freeny
Teams With Need At Position: New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams
Projection: Undrafted free agent
Bottom Line on K.J. Britt
K.J. Britt might have been able to make it in the NFL if he had declared 25 years ago. The Auburn product is an absolute monster of a human being, one of the strongest linebackers in the class that blows up offensive linemen and running backs with ease. He doesn’t miss any tackles, and you never see a running back fall forward after making contact with him.
Unfortunately, that’s pretty much all he can do on a football field. Britt moves exclusively in a straight line – if you have him isolated in space, it’s game over. The Auburn product is slow on his feet, doesn’t possess much agility, and wouldn’t be able to last against running backs or even faster tight ends in coverage. He’s very one-dimensional, and that one dimension isn’t particularly valuable in today’s day and age.
Britt is reportedly a great locker room leader, and this will increase the odds of hearing his name called on draft day. However, if he wants to stick around in this league, he’ll probably need to do it as a core special teamer.
Main photo:
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