Tag: Deone Bucannon

Reviewing the NFL draft’s No. 27 pick from the last decade

The Baltimore Ravens are set to pick 27th in the 2021 NFL draft. There has been a lot of great players selected there over the last decade.

With an unusual offseason that won’t have the NFL Scouting Combine due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 2021 NFL draft might be sneaking up on everyone. Now just two months away, the Baltimore Ravens are likely knee-deep in their preparations; scouting prospects to move them up and down their draft board.

The Ravens’ first pick is at No. 27 in the first round, which has historically been a pretty good draft spot. While the exact pick number has no bearing on what a player will do once in the league, quite a few special players have been taken at the 27th spot, including one of Baltimore’s own. Of the 11 players selected at No. 27 from 2010-2020, they’ve earned a combined 11 Pro Bowl nominations and four first-team All-Pro nominations.

Instead of looking forward to which prospects might make the most sense for Baltimore, let’s take a look back at what type of player has typically been taken over the last decade.

Falcons agree to terms with ex-Giants LB Deone Bucannon

The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to terms with former New York Giants linebacker Deone Bucannon.

Several former members of the New York Giants remain unsigned as we inch closer to June, but you can now scratch linebacker Deone Bucannon off that list.

The Atlanta Falcons announced on Thursday evening that they have agreed to terms with Bucannon.

The Falcons’ 2020 offseason has been largely about adding versatility to their defense, and this move is a continuation of that theme. At 6-foot-1 and 211 pounds, Bucannon is much smaller than a typical linebacker – even by today’s standards – but he offers the physicality to play a role in a big nickel package. His athleticism at the linebacker position is also a positive and something the Falcons covet on their defense.

Bucannon began the 2019 season as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was released in early October and then picked up by the Giants two weeks later, reuniting the linebacker with defensive coordinator James Bettcher, who had coached Bucannon during his time with the Arizona Cardinals.

In nine games (one start) with the Giants, Bucannon recorded 25 tackles (15 solo) and one stuff. He finished the year with a 53.6 grade from Pro Football Focus.

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Falcons agree to terms with LB Deone Bucannon

The Falcons were thin at linebacker after letting go of De’Vondre Campbell in free agency and announced on Thursday that they have agreed to terms with linebacker/safety Deone Bucannon

The Falcons were thin at linebacker after letting go of De’Vondre Campbell in free agency and announced on Thursday that they have agreed to terms with linebacker/safety Deone Bucannon.

Bucannon is another former first-round pick that hasn’t quite found his NFL footing. He’s spent time at multiple linebacker spots as well as safety, but has become more of a versatile depth piece rather than the impact-player teams viewed him as back in the 2014 draft.

In six NFL seasons, most recently with the New York Giants, Bucannon has 434 tackles (329 solo), 28 tackles for a loss, seven sacks and two interceptions.

The Falcons are likely to play him at an outside linebacker spot in certain situations, but he also provides some insurance as a strong safety in case Keanu Neal doesn’t return to his All-Pro form in 2020.

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5 impending free agents the Giants should not re-sign

Free agency is nearly upon us and that means it’s time to get to work for the New York Giants, who should no re-sign these five players.

The New York Giants are entering a crucial offseason, one where if they get it wrong will lead to major changes in the organization — again.

They don’t have a ton of players hitting free agency that are worth re-signing, so here’s a list of five they shouldn’t bring back.

Elsa/Getty Images

Leonard Williams, defensive lineman

This is my opinion, which means little since they will absolutely pull out all the stops to keep him in the fold, including slapping the franchise tag on him if need be. That would be a shame since it could be somewhere in the neighborhood of $17 million which is way more than he is worth. Spotrac.com values Williams at $8.3 million per year. I don’t think the Giants should pay much more for him, but they will since general manager Dave Gettleman already has so much invested in him.

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Giants injury report: Evan Engram, Rhett Ellison remain sidelined

The New York Giants had four players missing from practice on Wednesday, including tight ends Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison.

The New York Giants returned to practice in East Rutherford on Wednesday as they prepare for a Week 13 matchup against the Green Bay Packers — a team that has struggled to cover opposing tight ends.

Given the Packers’ struggles against tight ends, the Giants are hopeful to have back both Evan Engram (foot) and Rhett Ellison (concussion), but things did not get off to a great start in that realm.

Both Engram and Ellison were non-participants in the portion of practice open to the media and appeared resigned to the sidelines.

In addition to the two tight ends, safety Jabrill Peppers (back) and wide receiver Golden Tate (concussion) were not spotted at practice.

Linebacker Deone Bucannon (ankle) was on the field giving it a go, as was linebacker Kareem Martin (knee), who was designated to return from injured reserve and had his three-week clock officially started.

The Giants’ full practice report can be found below:

Full participant: WR Golden Tate, TE Rhett Ellison, TE Evan Engram, SS Jabrill Peppers

Limited participant: N/A

Non-participant: N/A

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Several Giants throw their support behind Colin Kaepernick

Several more members of the New York Giants expressed support for Colin Kaepernick this week and suggest he’s being blackballed.

The New York Giants had every intention of scouting free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick last week in Atlanta when the former San Francisco 49ers star was scheduled to participate in a Pro Day-style workout for two dozen or so NFL teams.

When the workout was moved 60 miles south of the Atlanta Falcons’ headquarters in Flowery Branch, the Giants were one of the many teams that could not make the trip. So, they missed out. Only eight teams were able to attend the rescheduled event.

The 32-year-old Kaepernick, who last played in the NFL in 2016, has yet to receive an offer from an NFL team even though he proved at his workout that he is in fine physical condition and could certainly still play in this league.

Who knows if the Giants were genuinely interested in Kaepernick or if they were simply showing their due diligence. This way they can at least say they tried even though in all likelihood they had no intention of signing him. Several Giants spoke out about the Kaepernick situation this week.

From the New York Daily News:

Not everyone was willing to talk on the record or at all about Kaepernick. This was a reminder of how sensitive this matter remains. Outside linebacker Markus Golden, for example, said he had no opinion and could not speak on it, but he’d answer football questions.

Kaepernick’s original protest of racial oppression and police brutality, though, continues to inspire support from the rank and file.

“What he represents I fully support, with what’s going on in our country as far as people of color being treated unfairly,” safety Deone Bucannon said. “I’m an African-American man, as well. I’m in his corner … He’s working hard. As a football player and a person, I respect him.”

Beal reminded that Kaepernick never wanted to stop playing. “What he did was freedom of speech,” cornerback Sam Beal said. “So you basically punished him for his own opinion, for what his personal beliefs are.”

Once Saturday’s workout happened, though, even with all the drama, veteran safety Antoine Bethea said at least one thing came out of it.

“I don’t know all the facts,” the veteran safety said, “but I do appreciate that he was given an opportunity to showcase his abilities. I think it should have been done a long time ago.”

Whether or not Kaepernick ever gets his shot to play again remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, though — he’s made an impact on this league, this game, its players, its owners and its fans as well as on American society.

There is no one in this country that doesn’t have an opinion on him or his actions — one way or the other. His point has been made, like it or not. Football is just the backdrop for his story.

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There’s no rhyme or reason to Giants’ defense

The New York Giants have the worst defense in football and there appears to be no rhyme or reason to their approach.

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The New York Giants have surrendered 289 points in 10 games this season, the most in the NFL. There are a ton of reasons and theories behind the huge step back they’ve taken in Year 2 under defensive coordinator James Bettcher.

Many say the scheme is at fault. Others point to the dearth of talent while some blame the organization for stocking the roster with too many rookies and inexperienced players.

No matter which of those are the culprit — and all three are salient points — there isn’t much the team can do about it 10 weeks into the season. To install a new scheme would take as many weeks as they have left in the season.

Adding players isn’t a real option mid-season (although they’ve been doing that where they can) and as for gaining experience, we all know there’s only one way to accomplish that — by playing the rookies.

There have been some interesting nuances this season and a few moves that had fans and pundits questioning the team’s direction.

Last year as a rookie, B.J. Hill was a budding star, playing in all 16 games (starting 12), racking up 5.5 sacks, eight QB hits, six tackles for a loss and two passes defensed.

This year, Hill has been invisible, especially on the stat sheet. Through 10 games, he has no sacks, no QB hits and no tackles for a loss.

When the Giants traded for Leonard Williams two weeks ago, we suggested that Williams was not going to be added to the defensive line rotation along with Hill and the others, but rather as a replacement for Hill. So far we are right about that. Hill’s snaps are way down since the trade.

Duggan also points out the decreasing usage of the Giants’ prized third-round pick, linebacker Oshane Ximines, and the fact that they continue to play packages that favor speed over bulk.

Deone Buccanon was picked up because he is a Bettcher disciple from their days in Arizona, but he hasn’t made any type of impact. He was released by Tampa Bay for a reason and now we know why. He doesn’t appear to be the same player he was a few seasons ago.

The scheme might be too complicated for some of the young players. Most defenders are trained to attack. The Giants haven’t shown much aggression on defense. Instead, they are usually on their heels, conceding way too much yardage underneath in fear of surrendering big plays, which they’ve ended up doing anyway. More than any team in the league in fact.

No doubt, there will be more changes to this defense in the offseason. A bona fide pass rusher would go a long way, as would a solid addition at each level of this defense. Granted, doesn’t every team need that?

A return to the “get after it” style would benefit this group rather than having a slew of young players standing around wondering what their assignments are.

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