Say what you will about San Francisco's quarterback situation. The Niners have their issues, but they also have their first-round pick under contract.
NFL Media's Rand Getlin reported Friday that DeForest Buckner has signed his rookie contract with the 49ers, per a source familiar with the deal. The team later confirmed the signing.
A player the 49ers"desperately" coveted before the draft, the 6-foot-7, 291-pound Buckner fell into San Francisco's lap with the seventh-overall pick.
Last year's Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Buckner operated as a physical wonder for Oregon's defense, chewing through offensive linemen and often looking like a man among boys. The Niners hope he'll do the same in a front seven that will pair him with former Oregon end Arik Armstead -- another 6-foot-7 specimen who played well last season.
"His comp is going to be Calais Campbell or Arik Armstead but I think he's more talented coming out than either one of those guys," one NFC Regional Scout told NFL Media's Lance Zierlein before the draft. "He's twice the player Armstead was coming out."
Just before the draft, Armstead lobbied for the team to pick Buckner, saying, per CSN Bay Area: "If we end up playing together again, that would be awesome. That's my guy. We motivate each other."
It's a promising turn of events for a Niners defense that saw a horde of players defect, retire and fade away before last season.
