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Ex-49ers star Buckner sees shades of Bosa in Colts rookie Latu originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It has been over four years since DeForest Buckner last suited up for the 49ers, but the All-Pro defensive tackle remembers playing alongside then-rookie Nick Bosa like it was yesterday.
And now, with the Indianapolis Colts, Buckner is experiencing some déjà vu as he watches first-round draft pick Laiatu Latu in training camp.
“… When I was with Nick, him coming in his rookie year, him coming in just going through drills, seeing him in team [meetings], I was very encouraged seeing him, and I knew he was going to make a big difference for us moving forward,” Buckner told Kay Adams during the “Up & Adams” show on Wednesday. “And Laiatu gives me the same vibes, I’m not going to lie. I know that’s some big shoes and somebody to really follow, which is Nick Bosa, a former Defensive Player of the Year.
“But I mean, Laiatu definitely has all of the characteristics, all the potential in his game and just the man that he is. He definitely has what it takes.”
Buckner was entering his fourth 49ers season when San Francisco selected Bosa at No. 2 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. They only played one year together, but Bosa and Buckner helped a vaunted 49ers defensive line advance to Super Bowl LIV that season, where they ultimately lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami.
The 49ers Faithful certainly remember what happened next, when San Francisco — stuck in a salary crunch — traded Buckner to the Colts in the offseason following that Super Bowl loss.
As Buckner embraced his new journey in Indianapolis, his hunch about Bosa turned out to be right. After earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for his efforts during the 2019 NFL season, Bosa went on to earn First-Team All-Pro honors in 2022 and become a four-time Pro Bowl selection as he helped San Francisco’s defense become one of the best in the league as perennial playoff contenders.
Like Buckner said, those certainly…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ex-49ers-star-buckner-sees-054542868.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-08-15 06:13:16
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