Cal's Teddye Buchanan Would Welcome Being Drafted by 49ers

The linebacker with Bay Area roots attended Niners' games at Candlestick Park as a kid

Teddye Buchanan / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers haven’t taken a player from Cal in the NFL Draft since selecting defensive end Andre Carter in the 2001 first round.

Linebacker Teddye Buchanan hopes to end that 24-year drought this weekend.

“It’d be really cool just to get the chance to play there,” Buchanan told Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group after Cal’s pro day last month.

Buchanan was born in Palo Alto and attended St. Ignatius High School in San Fransisco. “I’ve watched the Niners all my life. I’ve been to Niners games. I was at the NFC Championship in 2012 at Candlestick,” he said, referring to the 49ers’ 20-17 loss to the New York Giants.

Buchanan spent four years at UC Davis before transferring to Cal for last season. He transitioned easily from the FCS to FBS level, piling up 114 tackles, with 12 tackles for loss and five sacks.

The 6-foot-2, 233-pounder is projected as a late-round draft pick, most likely to go on Saturday when teams draft players in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seven rounds.

Teddye Buchanan / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Buchanan is among three former Cal players generally expected to be taken in the draft, along with cornerback Nohl Williams and safety Craig Woodson. Cornerback Marcus Harris and outside linebacker Xavier Carlton also will get looks from NFL teams, and if they aren't chosen could wind up signing as undrafted free agents.

Buchanan believes he could fit alongside Fred Warner, the 49ers’ three-time All-Pro linebacker. The franchise has a vacancy after Dre Greenlaw’s offseason departure to the Denver Broncos via free agency.

Buchanan called the 6-3, 236-pound Warner “the new prototype” at linebacker. 

“He is who I’m compared to and I feel he’s the ultimate linebacker right now,” Buchanan said. “We have similar body types. Similar play styles.”

In fact, Buchanan said he’d welcome being drafted any team. He performed well at the NFL Combine at Indianapolis and knows that improved his chances of being picked this weekend

“I feel like teams are happy with what I put on at the combine,” Buchanan said. “I showed I’m a dynamic athlete that can do a lot of things on the field, and they were happy with the position drills. I was happy to come out of Indy doing what I wanted to do.”

Buchanan could become the first inside linebacker from Cal to be drafted since Evan Weaver went in the sixth round in 2020 to the Arizona Cardinals. A consensus All-American, Weaver never played in the NFL.

The 49ers, of course, famously whiffed on the chance to draft Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2005. He tumbled down the first round before the Green Bay Packers took him with the 24th pick.

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