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The Arizona Cardinals have their long, athletic strong safety in Deone Bucannon. What does he bring?
The Washington State Cougars SB Nation team site, CougCenter, gives us the lowdown.
Bucannon is a tremendous hitter, a hard worker, a leader and still has room for improvement. He was an All-American to end his college career.
He epitomizes "speak softly and carry a big stick," preferring to lead by example. A tireless worker -- he added 20 pounds between his junior and senior seasons -- Bucannon had the unending respect of his teammates as he was the unquestioned leader of the WSU defense.
This fits the type of player the Cardinals want -- a grinder and a leader.
And the highlights? Here are a few:
Seth Cox described him Thursday night as, "at worst, a Yeremiah Bell clone and, at best, Adrian Wilson." While we saw Bell as an aging player, he was still quite effective and he had himself a very good career.
While general manager Steve Keim believes that Bucannon will be able to play well in coverage, specifically handling tight ends and slot receivers, it is somewhat of a projection.
From CougCenter:
While Bucannon did have a fair amount of coverage responsibility at WSU -- and did pick up 15 interceptions in his career, including this nice one against Stanford in the end zone out of what was likely two-deep responsibility -- it's unlikely he possesses the coverage skills and range to play that role with regularity.
He is, in summary, "an in-the-box thumper who is going to destroy anyone who tries to come across his area of the field."
By the way, head on over to the site and read some of what their fans think of Bucannon -- and see the GIF of a Bucannon "cannon."
