Teddye Buchanan, LB, California
Size:
Height: 6021
Weight: 233
Arm: 31 ⅜”
Hand: 9 ⅜”
Accomplishments:
Second-Team All-Big Sky (2023)
“Teddye Buchanan operates with a high-level motor and a hunger for the football that consistently sees him arrive as the first man to contact.”
Strengths:
One-on-one tackling
Ball skills
Extremely smart football player
Range
Concerns:
Fluidity vs. more athletic pass-catchers
Comfortability at depth
Film Analysis:
Teddye Buchanan operates with a high-level motor and a hunger for the football that consistently sees him arrive as the first man to contact. Transferred to California from UC Davis, where Buchanan evolved into one of the Big Sky conference's premier defenders.
Aligned primarily as the ‘MIKE’ in the middle of a defense, Buchanan’s intelligence and instincts mask the concerns teams will have with his overall athleticism and coverage ability. As a run defender, Buchanan plays with his hair on fire. Is rarely out of position to make plays on ball-carriers with the ability to scrape and accelerate through gaps. While Buchanan wastes little time to trigger downhill should he see an opportunity, he has the patience to shuffle and read blockers as plays develop. Sound tackler who squares up opponents well. Range is evident to make plays from hash to hash both beyond, and behind the line of scrimmage (14.5 career TFLs). Does need further refinement in stacking/shedding opposing blockers in isolated situations.
In coverage, more snaps against a higher level of competition will be good for Buchanan. While comfortable in zone, the further he drifts from the line the more chaotic his movements can become in maintaining discipline. When asked to align in man against tight ends, Buchanan does well to disrupt timing but can be run by or out-leveraged by more nuanced route-runners. Instincts are evident seemingly each series, where Buchanan can constantly get his hands on the football. Totaled eight career interceptions (one returned for a TD), 14 PBUs, and 14 forced fumbles. While he has room to grow fundamentally in coverage, his knack for taking the ball away will intrigue teams in search of high-level playmakers in the middle of a defense.
Concerns remain about his comfortability at depth and ability to counter more athletic pass-catchers. Buchanan’s ability to transfer his success moving from the Big Sky to the ACC will remain paramount in finalizing his evaluation.
Overall, Buchanan touts many of the traits teams look for in versatile three-down defenders, but fine-tuning his skill set in coverage will go a long way toward solidifying his draft stock. He currently projects as a rotational linebacker with an intriguing skill set as a playmaker who should also earn snaps as a core special teamer.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Scheme Specific Contributor
Written By: Ryan Fowler
Exposures: Oregon State (2023), Eastern Washington (2023), Sacramento State (2023)
