DeForest Buckner ranked as one of the league’s best defensive tackles in latest poll

In a recent poll conducted by ESPN, Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle, DeForest Buckner, was ranked as one of the best players at his position.

In 2020, the Indianapolis Colts sent their first-round pick for that year’s Draft to the San Francisco 49ers to acquire defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Following the trade, Indy immediately gave Buckner a four-year extension worth $84 million. Two years later, and it’s a move the Colts haven’t regretted in the slightest.

For starters, Indy was able to draft Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor in the second round of the 2020 Draft, so the team didn’t really miss the first-round pick that was sent away for Buckner. More importantly, Buckner has been elite for the Colts on the defensive line.

In his first season in Indianapolis, DeForest Buckner had 9.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, and was voted First-Team All-Pro. In his second season with the Colts, last year, he led the team with seven sacks and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

Buckner has been one of the league’s best defensive tackles since entering in 2016 and that has been noticed throughout the NFL. Recently, Jeremy Fowler and ESPN polled over 50 executives, scouts, coaches, and players in the NFL and had them rank the 10 best players at each position. For defensive tackle, Buckner was voted the 4th-best in the league.

DeForest Buckner ranked 4th-best defensive tackle in NFL

Buckner trails Aaron Donald, the unanimous No. 1, Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans, and Chris Jones from the Kansas City Chiefs. On some ballots, Buckner was ranked as high as No. 2 and as low as No. 8, but his average was at No. 4, one spot lower than his No. 3 ranking last year.

Excelling as a run defender and pass rusher, one AFC scout was quoted saying, “Tough, instinctive, needs to be accounted for in both phases. Routinely beats single blocks and is racking up the sack numbers since the trade with San Francisco.”

Luckily for the Colts, Buckner is only 28, entering his seventh season, and is surrounded by a ton of talent defensively. He’s in the perfect position to keep elevating his game and can help Indianapolis field a dominant defense in the coming years.

When is the last time the Colts had a top-five defense?

The Indianapolis Colts have the potential to have an extremely dominant defense this season, something Indy hasn’t had in a long time.