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Cleveland Browns draft profile: DeForest Buckner

By Matt Stevenson

Dec 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive end DeForest Buckner (44) celebrates after a sack in the second quarter against the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Championship at Levi
Dec 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive end DeForest Buckner (44) celebrates after a sack in the second quarter against the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Championship at Levi /
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Jan 2, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Bram Kohlhausen (6) is sacked by Oregon Ducks defensive end DeForest Buckner (44) in the 2016 Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Bram Kohlhausen (6) is sacked by Oregon Ducks defensive end DeForest Buckner (44) in the 2016 Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports /

As mentioned earlier, the Cleveland Browns lack depth at the defensive end position and could instantly use Buckner’s skill set to anchor down the line.

Danny Shelton, the No. 12 overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, is going to be starting at nose tackle and lining up Buckner next to him would be a frightening matchup for any running back.

Buckner has a niche for being able to use his quick footwork to get off the line quickly and then use his hands and athleticism to power pass the offensive line. The majority of his senior season, the Morris Trophy award winner was double teamed and saw most run plays develop on the opposite side of him.

He played left end for the most part at Oregon, however, his position is interchangeable as he also played some nose tackle and right end in college.

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Buckner along with Shelton and Bryant, Cooper or Hughes can certainly become a force given time to properly develop, and Cleveland can without a doubt make defensive coordinator Ray Horton happy by selecting the Pac-12 player of the year.

The problem with drafting Buckner is that it will take the Browns’ No. 2 pick as he will be far gone by the time the Browns are up at No. 32. This puts the team in a difficult spot as many experts speculate that the second overall pick will be used on what the Browns hope is the quarterback of the future in Carson Wentz or Jared Goff.

Although the fit with the Browns is an ideal one, head coach Hue Jackson and executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown are determined to build this team from scratch and Buckner (or the defensive end position in general) typically isn’t the place to start in a rebuild. Especially after the Browns spent a first-round selection last year on Shelton.

It’s hard to imagine the Browns selecting Buckner at No. 2 overall, although he would obviously enhance the defense immediately and would be a great fit for this young Cleveland team.

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