Sunday’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints will mark the midway point of DeForest Buckner’s rookie season. The San Francisco 49ers first-round pick has been a Day-1 starter on Jim O’Neil’s defense and has led the team’s defensive linemen in snaps in each game that he’s played.
Buckner has 36 total tackles in six contests. He was inactive for the team’s Week 5 divisional matchup against the Arizona Cardinals with a foot sprain. The seventh-overall pick in 2016 returned in Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills and tallied the first two sacks of his career and first fumble recovery.