Former Gatorade State Player of the Year in basketball could be a high first round NFL Draft pick, possibly to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 6.
Video: DeForest Buckner High School Highlights
See the Hawaiian sensation in action as a high-schooler.With
DeForest Buckner expected to be taken among the first 10 picks in the NFL Draft on April 28, it shouldn't be any surprise that the former
Punahou (Honolulu) standout was named the state player of the year in high school.
But the sport where Buckner received his honor was basketball, not football. Although he was an all-state defensive end on the gridiron, Buckner earned Gatorade State Player of the Year honors after leading the Buff N' Blue to a 28-2 record and state championship on the hardcourt. He was a two-time All-State Fab 15 choice by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and posted averages of 12.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 1.6 steals and 1.3 assists per game during his senior season. He shot 67 percent from the field as well.
See high school footage of 25 of the best players in this year's draftPlaying at 240 pounds in high school, the 6-foot-7, 291-pound Buckner has put on 50 pounds in college at Oregon. He's developed into a premier defensive lineman, posting 10.5 sacks with 17 tackles for loss and 83 total tackles for the Ducks last season while earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The latest CBS Sports mock draft boards list Buckner as the No. 2 defensive end in the draft behind Ohio State's Joey Bosa. He could go as high as No. 6 to the Baltimore Ravens (with two of five experts choosing that scenario), or it could work out how two other experts say, with him going to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 7, who are led by former Oregon coach Chip Kelly. The final expert has him headed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 9.
