Buckner makes all the right moves

DeForest Buckner will likely be selected among the first 10 picks of the NFL Draft on Thursday. But he chose the green of home in the islands over the green room in Chicago.

“They were going to give me seven tickets. But I have a lot more than seven family members,” said Buckner, who will have around 250 friends and relatives at the draft gathering near his family home in Maili. “My mom’s been planning the party for a while.”

That celebration could have happened last year, as the 6-foot-7, 290-pound defensive end established himself as a top-level NFL prospect and possible first-rounder during Oregon’s 2014 run to the national championship game.

But Buckner and his family had already made what turned out to be a very wise decision, before the postseason.

“It was going to affect my whole life and I really weighed out the pros and cons. I was almost finished with school,” he said. “Definitely coming back was the right move. I got my degree and I improved my draft stock.”

Buckner, who did not redshirt, completed his degree in general social science in just 31⁄2 years at Oregon.

“High school was harder than college,” he said.

It wasn’t just the tough curriculum at Punahou. There was the daily 35-mile commute each way.

“Waking up when it’s dark,” he said. “And getting home when it’s dark.”

George and Maria Buckner instilled discipline and respect in their children, and it shows.

When it came to sports, the parents never talked about how they were both college basketball players at what was then Hawaii Pacific College.

“If they choose it on their own, then it’s much easier for them to put in that 110 percent,” said Maria, who also played volleyball at Waianae High.

When DeForest was 13, he was forced to learn a lot about responsibility, because of a family tragedy. George was seriously injured in a traffic accident on his way home from work one night.

George’s injuries were so bad he was in a medically induced coma for six months. When he regained consciousness, one of the first things he did was have a very serious one-on-one discussion with his eldest son.

“I didn’t really want to put it on him. But I didn’t know if I would come through it,” George said Saturday. “I had a talk with him about it. He was ready to take care of his sister and brother and his mom.”

Eight years after the accident, George continues to recover, but his mobility is still limited. “I just had hip surgery,” he said. “It’s coming along OK. Coming along fine.”

DeForest got home from Eugene, Ore., last week on a late-night flight. He was up at 5 the next day running on the beach across the street from the family home. On Friday, he expertly handled five one-on-one interviews with local media. Then it was off to Punahou for a workout. Between more training and interviews this week he will squeeze in a talk to students at Waianae Intermediate School.

Before all this, there was the NFL Combine; his stock remained high after the workouts and “12 straight interviews” with team decision-makers.

“You really gotta be (quick) on your feet,” he said. “Some position coaches talk to you for 11⁄2 hours.”

Then there were visits to four teams’ facilities: Dallas, Jacksonville, San Diego and Tennessee. Buckner knew it would be smart to dress smart.

“I wanted to make sure I was in a suit. It’s a business. It’s like a job interview. Actually, it IS a job interview,” said Buckner, who only previously wore a suit at high school graduation. “Honestly, I kind of like it. People react to you differently.”

He’s articulate, polite and engaging. But is he always this serious?

“DeFo definitely has a funny side. Always liked to laugh and joke with us and whatnot, but definitely knows when to turn the switch on and off,” said Bronson Yim, his teammate for three years at Oregon. “And he’s genuine, as a teammate, friend and brother.”

Buckner’s also been the real deal on the field, for quite a while now.

“He’s been so consistent the last two years. I would say it was really his junior year that turned everyone’s heads,” said Tyson Alger, part of the Ducks coverage team for The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Everyone was expecting Arik Armstead to be the best player on the line. He was the one everyone was talking about and hyping up. Buckner was just consistently better than him just about every game. And Armstead ended up being a first-round pick himself.”

Opposing coaches certainly noticed.

“If you’re building a defensive lineman, that’s what you build.” said Stanford’s David Shaw.

And if you’re raising a young man, this is what you raise.

“We’re extremely proud of DeForest,” Maria said. “Not just because of his physical attributes, but because of who he is as a person.”

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaii warriorworld.com/quick-reads.