College: Washington State

Ht: 6'1"

Wt: 216

Strengths

Hitting: Bucannon is simply what you want to call a hard hitter. He will take receivers out in the middle of the field without hesitation. The great part about his game is that he does a solid job getting the shoulder out in front of the helmet, which eliminates potential personal foul penalties and can help jar the ball loose. You can be a hard hitter, but not have the technique to make it work. Bucannon does not struggle with this. 

Size: At 6'1" and 216 pounds, Bucannon has the build of a linebacker. To put that into perspective, Bucannon's size, if he were to add a dozen pounds, would equal that of NaVorro Bowman. Just think about that for one second. Where he may tend to struggle best utilizing this size in the gap against the run, it's evident in the box against the pass. Simply put, receivers and tight ends fear him. 

Sees the Field in Front of Him: This is absolutely huge for a strong safety in the NFL. Bucannon's reactionary speed and ability to understand what is going on in front of him is one of his biggest assets. He will string plays out on the inside, impede the progress of receivers on crossing routes and act as an extra linebacker when asked. Bucannon rarely takes himself out of a play and is always around the ball. 

Weaknesses

Balance: Bucannon needs to be more upright when he goes to tackle. These issues can make him a liability against the run, which isn't good for someone that is going to be asked to play strong safety in the NFL. He has the size to become a tackling machine against the run, but his technique needs changing. 

Back End Coverage: While Bucannon is much better than most would give him credit for when he's tasked with lining against a receiving target, he tends to struggle when asked to play off or act as the coverage over the top. I noticed him get turned around multiple times when asked to play this role. It mostly has to do with stiff hips and an inability to recognize routes. 

Patience: This is where Bucannon can get into real trouble at the next level. While I did mention tackling technique as a strength, he sometimes goes for the big hit too often. This could cause one of two things. Late-hit penalties that were becoming too consistent for him at Washington State and missed tackles. These two things will only be magnified at the next level. 

NFL Comparison: Donte Whitner, San Francisco 49ers: This comparison is too easy. While Bucannon has nearly two inches on Whitner, the way the play are similar. Both are tremendous in-the-box safeties who hit like a brick wall and aren't afraid to stick their head in there. With that being said, Bucannon is better in coverage than Whitner was coming out of Ohio State. His celing is a more complete version of the 49ers free agent. 

Draft Outlook

Strong safeties are incredibly under-valued in the NFL today. With the switch to more nickel sets on the defensive side of the ball, teams tend to place more of an emphasis on coverage ability in the secondary. With that said, having someone like Bucannon on the back end of the defense has its advantages. Look at the Seattle Seahawks and 49ers in the NFC West as a case study. Both of their starting safeties like to hit, which brings a certain level of nasty to the defense. 

Due to Bucannon's overall game, he will likely find himself as the first strong safety off the board come May. Depending on what team needs a player at that position, he could go as early as the top of the second round. Though, a more realistic likelihood is the bottom of the second or the top of the third. 

Best Fits

It goes without saying that San Francisco is the most logical choice here, especially if Whitner leaves in free agency. It's almost as perfect of a fit as when the scouting community indicated the 49ers would pick up Marcus Lattimore last April. There are, however, other teams out there who seem like they could use this type of player in the secondary. 

The Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans could all use an upgrade at this position.