Knowing that they wouldn't be able to afford defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in the long-term, the San Francisco 49ers opted to trade him to the Indianapolis Colts and draft his replacement. The move was a more cap-friendly solution, even if it meant parting ways with one of the defense's leaders.
Linebacker Fred Warner spoke with reporters on Friday via a video conference call and shared what it will be like trying to replace the Pro Bowl defender.
"Buck, he was everything you would want in a teammate, in a player," Warner said. "He did everything right. He led by example every day, came to work. He's probably one of the hardest workers I've ever seen in practice, and it showed up on game day, obviously, for everybody to see throughout his career. We'll miss him a lot."
After trading down one spot in the first round of the draft, the 49ers used the No. 14 overall pick to select defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw out of South Carolina.
"There's some big shoes to fill, obviously," Warner continued. "We drafted Javon in the first round to try and ease that transition, but it's going to be tough without Buck. That's a very, very talented D-line group that we have, and I still have full confidence in those guys."
Warner himself doesn't anticipate needing to do anything different to make up for the loss of Buckner's leadership. The 23-year-old linebacker has already developed into a vocal leader on the defense, and one of the 49ers' best young players.
"I hold myself to a very high standard, and I'm going to hold the rest of the team to that standard," Warner added. "Just continuing to grow myself as a person in my game. I think that's the best thing I can do right now."