The San Francisco 49ers announced on Wednesday they have traded DL DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the Colts 2020 first-round (13th overall) draft choice.
"On behalf of the 49ers organization, I want to extend our most sincere appreciation to DeForest for his many contributions to the team and our community," said General Manager John Lynch. "It has truly been a privilege to work with DeFo these last three years and he deserves a great deal of credit for helping us to build the foundation of this team and reestablish a championship culture. He and his wife, Ashlyn, are special people and we wish them the very best in their next chapter of life."
The 49ers originally selected Buckner (6-7, 295) in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. Buckner started all 63 games in which he appeared throughout his four-year career, tallying 276 tackles, 28.5 sacks, 10 passes defensed, seven fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. He also started in each of his three postseason contests, adding 12 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
In 2019, Buckner started all 16 games and registered 61 tackles, 7.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and two passes defensed, earning AP Second-Team All-Pro honors. Buckner's career-high four fumble recoveries in 2019 were tied for the second-most in the NFL last season, and were the most by a member of the 49ers in a single season since CB Ronnie Lott registered four fumble recoveries in 1988. He was also the recipient of the team's Bill Walsh Award, which is given to the 49er who has best represented the standard of professional excellence established by Walsh.
