The Oregon trend continues as the San Francisco 49ers select DeForest Buckner with the 7th pick.
The San Francisco 49ers are heading into a new era– the Chip Kelly era. Things ended on a sour note in Philadelphia, but there’s no doubting Kelly’s talent as an offensive play-caller. However, it takes more than an explosive offense to win football games.
This is why it’s nice to see the 49ers add another dynamic defender with tons of upside. He’s a perfect fit as a 5-technique in the 49ers 3-4 attack. His ability to both set the edge against the run and generate pressure on the quarterback makes him really valuable.
Buckner is talented, but there are plenty of question marks as he’s not as explosive as a true edge rusher. There are times where he completely disappears and fails to make impact plays. I’ve said it many times that he reminds me a lot of Tyson Jackson.
Jackson has had a productive career but never lived up to his draft position. Using at top-10 pick on a player means that you want to add a difference maker to the roster. Buckner needs to develop as a pass rusher in order to meet his true value.
Moving forward the 49ers need to look at addressing the offensive line, wide receiver corps and potentially a long answer at quarterback. They have enough picks to potentially make an aggressive move back into the first round an add another elite talent.
Someone like Texas A&M’s Germain Ifedi would make some sense.