Michael Bennett thinks DeForest Buckner can become a Defensive Player of the Year

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett is very active in his adopted home state of Hawaii, where he lives in the offseason and runs multiple football camps. Among those is the HOP Training NFL Camp, which is running for three weeks and includes 20 active NFL players. Included in that list of players are NFC West rivals DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead of the San Francisco 49ers, the former of which Bennett had the highest praise for.

“I think DeForest, I’m lucky to be working with a guy like that.” Bennett said.

“I think DeForest will eventually be a defensive player of the year. I think he has the talent to be able to do that. I keep telling him there’s nobody like him. He’s not normal. His physique, his speed, it’s not normal so when you’re not normal you can do not normal things and winning the defensive MVP is not normal for most people.”

Buckner, the seventh overall pick out of Oregon last year, had 73 tackles and six sacks as a rookie while playing on the interior of a 3-4 defense. The 49ers are now transitioning to a 4-3 defense under new coordinator Robert Saleh, who formerly worked under Pete Carroll in Seattle and then Gus Bradley in Jacksonville. That will keep Buckner on the inside, where he could be a terror for Seahawks offensive linemen for years to come.

Buckner says that the kind words from Bennett only make him want to work harder towards living up to those expectations. Woof.