49ers’ star DL Buckner to play in first Pro Bowl
San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, a Punahou and Oregon alum, will make his first Pro Bowl appearance, the NFL announced Tuesday.
The 6-foot-7, 300-pound third-year pro had 12 sacks this season and will replace Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who injured his foot in Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Buckner, a Waianae native, started all 16 games this season and had the most sacks for a 49er since Aldon Smith’s 19.5 in 2012. He was selected seventh overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
All of the players selected before him except Baltimore’s Ronnie Stanley have played in a Pro Bowl, and only one of the first-rounders taken after him (Atlanta’s Keanu Neal) has done so. He is fourth among his draft class with 21 career sacks, behind Yannick Ngakoue of Jacksonville (29.5), Joey Bosa of the Los Angeles Chargers (28.5) and Kansas City’s Chris Jones (24.0).
Hawaii Prep Academy product Max Unger of the New Orleans Saints is already on the Pro Bowl roster, but would not play if his team wins the NFC Championship.
Other Pro Bowl replacements announced Tuesday were Colts quarterback Andrew Luck for the Chargers’ Philip Rivers, Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch for Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, Ravens defensive tackle Brandon Williams for Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins and Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins for Giants safety Landon Collins.
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The Pro Bowl will be played Jan. 27 in Orlando, Fla.
GAME TEMPERATURES COULD GO BELOW ZERO
The Associated Press reported Monday that an “arctic blast” could settle over Kansas City on Sunday night, which would make the Patriots-Chiefs game one of the coldest games in modern NFL history. The National Weather Service projected temperatures at kickoff could range from 10 degrees to well below zero, potentially making it the coldest game in Arrowhead Stadium history.
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Star-Advertiser staff