DeForestBuckner

DeForest George Buckner is a defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts, born March 17, 1994, in Honolulu, Hawaii (6'7", 291 lbs). He played college football at Oregon and was drafted 7th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, later traded to the Colts in 2020. He's a first-team All-Pro (2020), second-team All-Pro (2019), and three-time Pro Bowler.

Buckner developed into an anchor of San Francisco's defensive front, helping the 49ers reach Super Bowl LIV in his fourth season, where he recorded a sack and a half against the Chiefs. His best season with the 49ers came in 2019, when he posted 7.5 sacks and earned second-team All-Pro honors.

In 2020, the 49ers traded Buckner to the Colts for a first-round pick, and he signed a four-year, $84 million extension that made him one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the league. He delivered immediately, recording a career-high three sacks in a single game against Houston and earning first-team All-Pro honors in his first season in Indianapolis.

Buckner has continued to anchor the Colts' interior line through injuries — including playing through a torn UCL in his elbow for the entire 2022 season — and has made three Pro Bowls with the team.

A neck injury cut his 2025 season short, requiring surgery on a herniated disc, but Buckner remains regarded as one of the steadiest interior defensive linemen of his era.