3 Buccaneers players who could surprise in the 2021 season

3. Grant Stuard, linebacker/special teams

It doesn’t get more surprising than Mr. Irrelevant cracking the roster of the defending Super Bowl champs, does it?

Grant Stuard, the final pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, managed to find a way.

Not only did he crack the roster of the Buccaneers, but he managed to beat out a veteran special teams ace in Joe Jones, formerly of the Denver Broncos, who also had a pick-six in preseason play.

Stuard is definitely undersized at the linebacker position at 5-foot-11, 230 pounds, but what he lacks in size he more than makes up for in strength and effort, especially on special teams.

Just like Chris Cooper, Stuard has a chance to make his mark on this championship team with strong efforts in the game’s third phase, which he did all throughout the preseason.

The Buccaneers are loaded at the linebacker position so any rookie coming in was always going to have to make an impression and impact on special teams, and that’s just what Stuard did.

It’s not hard to see this type of high-intensity, high-effort player making huge plays on punt or kick coverage, jarring the ball loose, or making a huge, momentum-swinging hit.