Britt a top LB on Mel Kiper's draft board

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Published May 6, 2020

Britt a top LB on Mel Kiper's draft board

Nathan King • AuburnSports

Staff

@byNathanKing

It's unlikely Auburn's trend of success putting defensive players in the pros will slow next season.

After defensive tackle Derrick Brown and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene were both first-rounders in the 2020 draft — and defensive end Marlon Davidson went in the second round — Auburn is projected to have at least one other high-round selection next year.

Rising senior linebacker K.J. Britt will not only be one of the Southeastern Conference's top returning defenders in 2020, but according to ESPN senior draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., he's also one of the top linebackers in the 2021 draft pool.

In Kiper's early draft position rankings for next year, Britt is the No. 3 inside linebacker on his board, behind Alabama's Dylan Moses and North Carolina's Chazz Surratt.

Kiper's top three inside linebackers in his final 2020 pre-draft rankings — Oklahoma's Kenneth Murray, LSU's Patrick Queen and Texas Tech's Jordyn Brooks — all went in the first round.

A 2019 All-SEC first-teamer, Britt thrived in the middle of Auburn's defense last season in his debut campaign as a starter. The Oxford, Ala., product racked up 68 tackles, including 10 for loss, the latter of which was most on the team among players not named Brown and Davidson.

"A lot of time and a lot of sacrifices I had to overcome to get to this point ... I'm really proud of myself," Britt said last season. "I really haven't gave myself a pat on the back about it. I just know the time and dedication I put into trying to be an Auburn linebacker and trying to see how far that could take me. It got me honors of All-SEC."

According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot, 236-pound Britt was the best run-stuffing linebacker in college football last season with a grade of 91.1 and 31 solo run stops. Britt also tallied 3.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.

The senior will undoubtedly be looked toward to become an even bigger on- and off-field leader for not only Kevin Steele's defense, but for Gus Malzahn's team overall.

"That’s my main concern right now just being more versatile," Britt said last month of what he'd like to improve on. "Just opening it up, my range. I look at myself as a leader and I’m pretty sure my teammates look at me as a leader. Leaders got to lead."

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