Not everyone noticed at first.
And some who did needed time to realize the significance.
You know, it’s not like everyone attends NFL Draft parties on a regular basis.
But if you ever are at one, here’s your tip-off that your host may have been picked: When he answers his phone and starts smiling, the chances are very likely he’s been selected by the next team up.
A few seconds after the Baltimore Ravens’ choice of Ronnie Stanley at No. 6 was announced, DeForest Buckner answered his cell phone.
He stayed on for a while. Smiling, and body language like when you’re talking with an old friend.
But what pal from his past wouldn’t know this isn’t the time to be shooting the breeze with Buckner? He’s gotta keep that line open.
Oh … wait … OK …
It must be THAT friend. The same one who used to call Buckner a lot back when he was a four-star prospect at Punahou.
A roar went up as Stanley highlights appeared on the big screens at Da Crawfish &Crab Shack in Kapolei. But it had nothing to do with the Notre Dame offensive tackle. Some of Buckner’s friends realized the voice on the other end had to be that of Chip Kelly — the coach who recruited him to Oregon and the new head man of the San Francisco 49ers.
They were now on the clock with the seventh pick.
Soon, another huge wave of cheers from the crowd wearing shirts custom designed for the event so colorful even the Ducks equipment manager would consider them bright.
Then Ed Nishioka, coordinating the event, flashed one of 15 signs he’d made for this day for Buckner’s first press conference as a professional football player. Under Buckner’s name it read “SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS.”
Buckner got off the phone. He stood up, walked over to the next table and embraced some aunties. Then he went back to his seat. The same cool, calm DeForest Buckner who had arrived nearly an hour earlier, but now looking much more relaxed and with a huge grin on his face.
By the time the announcement was made on the NFL Network and ESPN, everyone in the Kapolei restaurant already knew. But that didn’t stop them from the loudest cheer of all.
As 250 of his family members, friends, other supporters and media looked on, Buckner had patiently watched six guys get picked ahead of him. The only one that wasn’t at least somewhat expected was Joey Bosa of Ohio State going No. 3 to the San Diego Chargers.
The crowd applauded for the defensive end from the team that beat Buckner and the Ducks in the National Championship game two seasons ago. It was sincere, but like a polite golf clap.
Many thought Buckner could be chosen at that point, the top non-quarterback pick of the entire draft. Bosa and Buckner are both defensive ends, but the heavier Buckner seemed a better fit for the the Chargers’ 3-4 defense. Plus, San Diego’s defensive line coach had been all over Buckner in the weeks leading up to the draft.
And the Chargers are (well, make that were) Buckner’s favorite NFL team.
“We were praying for the West Coast,” he said later, wanting somewhere as close to home as possible. One reason is travel is difficult for his father, George.
His agent, Chafie Fields, showed me a list of all the teams drafting in the first round.
“Look at the ones with the stars,” he said.
Chargers. And 49ers.
In addition to Kelly, there’s defensive line coach Jimmy Azzinaro. He was at Oregon, too, and a key figure in getting Buckner to Eugene — which was the only place he visited during recruiting.
This time, Buckner toured four NFL facilities. San Francisco wasn’t among them. These people already knew each other well enough. Plus, Buckner could get whatever info he needed from Arik Armstead, his defensive end partner at Oregon drafted in the first round by the 49ers in 2015.
Reunions make for great stories, but they don’t always have happy endings. Getting the old college gang together in the NFL isn’t necessarily the recipe for success … ask Steve Spurrier about that one.
But a little bit of familiarity won’t hurt Buckner at all as he gets his career started in one of the world’s most demanding and cut-throat professions.
Even without the college connection, San Francisco is a good starting spot for a player from Hawaii — the islands are full of diehard 49ers fans, and when the Bay Area remembers the team’s Super Bowls, it remembers island products Jesse Sapolu and Russ Francis.
Oh, and don’t forget about the life-changing money that will include a signing bonus of around $10 million.
When it was done, he thanked the entire room. Especially his parents, George and Maria, “the two hardest-working people I’ve ever seen.”
DeForest Buckner summed it all up concisely.
“Definitely the best day of my life.”
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.
