Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
DeForest Buckner: “I wanted to get six sacks my rookie year”
Dec 13, 2016 at 3:20 PM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
had a good game during the San Francisco 49ers' overtime loss to the New York Jets on Sunday. He had two sacks, a hit, a quarterback hurry, and a career-high seven stops on defense.
Despite missing a game this season, Buckner has the third-most snaps (823) of any defensive player on the 49ers roster. Only
Antoine Bethea (936) and
Tramaine Brock (931) have more than Buckner. On Sunday, he played all 84 defensive snaps and has played in 98.3 percent of the team's defensive snaps over their last five games according to
Pro Football Focus.
"Back at Oregon, the coaches had me going around 80-90 plays a game my senior year," Buckner said following the 49ers' practice. "So I'm kind of use to it from that aspect, but the NFL is a whole different monster, you know? The guys are bigger, faster. I'm getting used to that too."
49ers DL DeForest Buckner Evaluates Rookie Season
Buckner came into his rookie year with some defensive goals. "Personally, I wanted to get six sacks my rookie year as a personal goal," he said. "I'm almost there. Three games left, I can try to get more than that. I wanted to get around 70 tackles. I'm on course for that."
Buckner has 65 tackles and five sacks so far this season with those three games remaining likely to push him over his set goals. He has
Pro Football Focus' highest grade among 49ers interior defenders and is the second-highest graded active defensive player (Gerald Hodges is the highest graded active defender).
"I think [Buckner] played his best game [against the Jets]," said 49ers head coach Chip Kelly on Monday. "He had nine-plus tackles, two sacks, was all over the field and I think you see him, the more he plays the more he understands what we're trying to get accomplished over there. He plays with such great effort and such a great motor and just loves playing football."
49ers defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil raved about Buckner today. He was asked about the defensive lineman's improvement in run support. "I don't know if I ever thought he was part of the problem," O'Neil said. "I think he's really progressed as the year went on. I thought early, actually, in the season, he was making most of his plays in the run game and then he was making a lot of plays with exceptional effort and I think we've seen him transform into a guy that can now make plays in the run-pass game and he's been unbelievable...He's just grown so much mentally and his ability to gather pre-snap information and make plays because of that has been really fun to watch him throughout the year."
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
49ers sign WR Trent Taylor, reuniting with former draft pick
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
Draft Watch: Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley visiting 49ers on Wednesday
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Rapoport: 49ers send clear message to teams inquiring about Brandon Aiyuk
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
Mike Silver on how Deebo Samuel's contract might be the starting point for a Brandon Aiyuk extension
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
