Deforest Buckner holds the RDT · Starter spot in Indianapolis Colts’s defensive tackle room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Deforest Buckner played 10 games in 2025 with a 71% snap share.

Deforest Buckner is a 6'7", 300-pound defensive tackle who was selected seventh overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Oregon. He spent four seasons with San Francisco (2016–2019) before being acquired by the Indianapolis Colts on March 18, 2020, in exchange for a first-round pick. In 2025, Buckner recorded 4.0 sacks while dealing with multiple stints on injured reserve. Entering his eleventh season, he remains a core defensive lineman for Indianapolis under a contract worth $23 million annually.

Oregon2012 – 2015

49ers2016 – 2019

Colts2020 — present

CollegeOregonDraftRound 1 · No. 7 overall · 2016 · SFAcquiredAcquired from San Francisco 49ers · drafted thereHometownWaianae, HI