It has been over four years since DeForest Buckner last suited up for the 49ers, but the All-Pro defensive tackle remembers playing alongside then-rookie Nick Bosa like it was yesterday.
And now, with the Indianapolis Colts, Buckner is experiencing some déjà vu as he watches first-round draft pick Laiatu Latu in training camp.
"... When I was with Nick, him coming in his rookie year, him coming in just going through drills, seeing him in team [meetings], I was very encouraged seeing him, and I knew he was going to make a big difference for us moving forward," Buckner told Kay Adams during the "Up & Adams" show on Wednesday. "And Laiatu gives me the same vibes, I'm not going to lie. I know that's some big shoes and somebody to really follow, which is Nick Bosa, a former Defensive Player of the Year.
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"But I mean, Laiatu definitely has all of the characteristics, all the potential in his game and just the man that he is. He definitely has what it takes."
Buckner was entering his fourth 49ers season when San Francisco selected Bosa at No. 2 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. They only played one year together, but Bosa and Buckner helped a vaunted 49ers defensive line advance to Super Bowl LIV that season, where they ultimately lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami.
The 49ers Faithful certainly remember what happened next, when San Francisco -- stuck in a salary crunch -- traded Buckner to the Colts in the offseason following that Super Bowl loss.
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As Buckner embraced his new journey in Indianapolis, his hunch about Bosa turned out to be right. After earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for his efforts during the 2019 NFL season, Bosa went on to earn First-Team All-Pro honors in 2022 and become a four-time Pro Bowl selection as he helped San Francisco's defense become one of the best in the league as perennial playoff contenders.
Like Buckner said, those certainly are some big shoes for Latu to fill. But the 2024 draft's No. 15 overall pick seems to be up for the task after commanding plenty of attention in the Colts' preseason opener.
For Buckner, the similarities between Bosa and Latu extend beyond the field, but one play from Indianapolis' 34-30 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday stood out when comparing the two pass rushers.
"Honestly, the way they go through the drills, just so polished, you know what I mean?" Buckner told Adams. "[Latu's] hand work is really good. He can find multiple ways to win. One thing I can say -- he's a little taller than Nick. But he's slippery. I saw him in a rush last week, it was actually off of [Colts cornerback] Kenny Moore's interception.
"Laiatu brought the pressure towards the quarterback. I thought he was done for in his rush, and he kind of just changed his levels and slipped under [Broncos offensive tackle] Garett Bolles and I was like -- I mean, I've seen it multiple times throughout the season with different guys around the league, but seeing it on our own team with Laiatu brings a different attribute to the mix."
There's no telling what kind of destruction Buckner and Bosa could have caused together on the 49ers' defensive line -- had they been able to play alongside each other for longer than one season.
But now, it appears as if Buckner believes he could have a Bosa 2.0 alongside him in Latu.
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