DeForest Buckner DE Oregon
STRENGTHS
DeForest plays mostly in a 2-gap system. He has the size to impact in any style of defensive front, which is a good thing. He reminds me a lot of former Kansas City Chiefs DL Tyson Jackson who was the 3rd overall selection in the 2009 draft. Deforest has a lot of potential. He has the long arms and legs you look for in a pass rusher and the size to play more than one position on the defensive line. Deforest plays hard on every snap and looks like he has a very good work ethic. When he is allowed to shoot the gap and get into the backfield, he does a solid job of disrupting plays and causing confusion. Deforest should be a solid defensive lineman for the next level and given the time with better coaching he could turn himself into a more productive defensive lineman also.
CONCERNS
Deforest has very immature defensive lineman skills right now. He struggles to get off blocks consistently and when shooting the gap, it’s too easy to push him off balance because of his footwork. He needs to build up his leg strength and balance and must improve his hand strength to shed and make tackles. His football intelligence is lacking in identifying screens to his side. Additionally, down and distance tendencies of his opponent seem to be lacking from his repertoire. When Deforest is used on stunts, his arms move faster than his feet which is a coordination issue that will cause him problems with quickness to the play at the next level. Deforest is not double teamed very much and when it happens, he is not stout and is blown off the line sometimes five yards back. In conclusion, he has the talent and size, but he has a long way to go before he can take advantage of that talent and size for the next level.
TALENT BOARD ROUND: 2
I like Deforest’s potential to improve, but in the first round I’m expecting a more complete player and Deforest is not there at this point. I’m sure with better line coaching he can become more impacting because of his work ethic, so selecting him at some point in the draft, seems like a no brainer. I can see how some teams may want to draft him earlier than I suggest, but for me personally, I would wait for him to come to me and not me come to him. Selecting him earlier than I have him rated would not happen for me but selecting him later in the draft would be very smart. Remember Michael Strahan didn’t get selected until the 2nd round but then again, Michael dominated double teams and dominated his position. Deforest does not dominate his position or require double teams to take him out of a play.
