Former Cougar Deone Bucannon Selected In First Round of Draft
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The WSU football program can be proud about sending one of their own to the NFL in the first round of the draft.
Deone Bucannon was an excellent safety for the Cougars, and his hard work earned him the 27th overall selection in the draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Providing a lot of talent for their defensive backfield, he led the Pac-12 in tackles during the 2013 season with 114, and forced three fumbles as well.
Standing at 6’1″ and weighing 211 pounds, he has the size to be a bruiser in the backfield should his new coaching staff in Arizona choose to use him as one. He certainly likes to hit the ball carrier, and scouts noted that. He is also very talented at reading plays, and reacts to running plays very quickly.
He does have his weaknesses. He struggles to recover from missteps. In other words, if a receiver gets behind him, chances are Bucannon will end up getting burned. He has also been known to play a bit too aggressively at times. I know, what is too aggressive on defense? Well, he tends to jump passes looking for a pick or a big hit, and when he doesn’t connect, he finds himself five yards behind his assignment.
Despite these shortcomings, Arizona liked him enough to pick him in the first round of the draft. What does this say about the kid? He is a heck of a player and a future talent. What does this say about WSU? The coaches know how to polish their players enough to get them sent off in the first round of the draft. Congratulations, Deone Bucannon.