San Francisco 49ers: 5 Players Who Will Shine in Training Camp

DeForest Buckner

Buckner was selected as the overall No. 7 pick in the draft for a reason. In his four seasons at Oregon, he totaled 232 total tackles (36.0 for loss), 18.0 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He showed an amazing ability to shed double-teams and triple-teams and still get to the QB.

Buckner will bring a much-needed edge presence to the defensive line which has been AWOL since Aldon Smith was jettisoned from the team and Justin Smith retired. The interior of the line is quality with Ian Williams and Glenn Dorsey, and Arik Armstead can rush from the opposite side.

NFL.com’s Conor Orr has Buckner as the 49ers defensive player to watch in camp:

"Player to watch: Defensive end DeForest Buckner. The 49ers have a chance to start a formidable pair of bookends in their 3-4 defense this season if Buckner can be even half as disruptive as advertised."

Buckner will flourish in camp because he knows Chip Kelly and what he is looking for, and he will be reunited with his running mate Armstead on the D-line where each player intimately knows the other’s strengths and weaknesses and how to bring out the best in each other.

Then when you throw in fellow draft pick Ronald Blair, the 49ers have two 3-4 defensive ends who combined for 99 stops in the FBS last year, per Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus:

Buckner is a physical specimen at 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds. He will use his size, athleticism and power in camp to showcase why he was a top-10 pick. The battle between him and Joe Staley would be worth the price of admission to camp alone.

Next: Eric Rogers