DeForest Buckner ‘just missed the cut’ for PFF’s top-50

While Indianapolis Colts left guard Quenton Nelson got his fair recognition, there was a notable omission on Pro Football Focus’ list of the top-50 players in the form of defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.

Despite earning an All-Pro nod for the first time in his career, Buckner was left off of the top-50 list in favor of Aaron Donald, Chris Jones, Casey Heyward and Grady Jarrett ahead on the list.

Here’s what PFF’s Sam Monson had to say about the snub of Buckner on the list:

“The interior of the defensive line is another position group absolutely loaded with talented players across the NFL. Even setting Aaron Donald aside for the moment as an alien, the likes of which the PFF grading system has never seen before, there are a lot of impactful interior linemen wreaking havoc on offenses. DeForest Buckner was good enough in San Francisco for the Colts to trade the No. 13 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to acquire him and hand him a monster contract extension, and he has been better in Indianapolis than he ever was as a 49er.

Buckner has 123 total pressures over the past two years as well as 71 defensive stops, and his overall PFF grade peaked this past year at 89.6. He also topped a 90.0 mark as a pass rusher for the first time in his career. If Buckner can continue that level of play next year and beyond, he will certainly find himself on the PFF50 in 12 months’ time, but the lack of guarantees is what causes him to miss out in favor of players who have established their dominance over more than one year.”

Buckner was one of the best three-techniques in the NFL during the 2020 season. He was the heart of the Colts’ pass rush leading the way with 9.0 sacks and 57 total pressures, according to PFF.

As long as Buckner continues to stay healthy, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be on this list in a year.