Film Room Dissects Why DeForest Buckner's Swim Move is so Devastating
Indianapolis Colts' defensive tackle DeForest Buckner is one of the best interior pass rushers in the entire league (perhaps one of the better overall pass rushers even). In just six seasons in the NFL, Buckner has amassed 45 sacks and 118 quarterback hits from his interior position.
What makes Buckner so dominant? Well, his elite swim move is certainly a big part of the equation. This move is so effective that I'd honestly rank it among the five most unblockable rush moves in the league. Opposing offensive linemen simply don't stand a chance against this rush.
For Buckner to find success with this devastating move, he needs to follow these four simple steps:
1. The Set Up
2. The Sell
3. The Execution
4. The Disrespect
In today's film piece, I dive into these four steps and discuss what makes Buckner so impossible to block on this move.
1. The Set Up
Unlike Yannick Ngakoue's set up to his cross-chop move, Buckner's swim move doesn't require him to explode off of the line of scrimmage. Buckner, instead, tends to get a bit upright out of his stance in order to sell that he could go either direction with his move.
By doing this, he is essentially giving himself a two way go in his one-on-one. The opposing lineman has to be prepared for Buckner to shoot either gap, which gives Buckner the ultimate advantage in the match-up. This simple set up is what leads to the next step on the list.
2. The Sell
The sell is arguably the most important part of Buckner's rush plan. Without it, he may not be able to create the space needed to work around the outside. As mentioned in step one, Buckner creates a two way go off of the snap by his first step.
Once he creates the option of going either direction, he then likes to either rocker-step or jab-step to the inside. This slight movement forces the opposing lineman to race to the inside over fear of Buckner's raw power winning quickly in that high danger area. This step, however, is purely to set up Buckner's next move back to the outside.
By selling the movement to the inside, Buckner gets the opposing interior player to over-commit to a spot where he is simply not going to be just a half second later.
Rocker-Step
Jab-Step
Step 3. The Execution
The first two steps are simply the lead up to the pure devastation that awaits for opposing linemen. Once Buckner gets that lineman to commit to the inside, it is all over.
Buckner quickly jolts back to the outside while swimming his inside arm high over the opposing lineman. His outside arm is used to chop hard on the shoulder/arm of the lineman, creating the necessary space to maneuver to the outside. While many NFL players have this move in their toolbox, Buckner's elite blend of power, size, and flexibility makes this rush look truly dominant.
Once Buckner has an opposing offensive lineman in the position that they are in below, it is all over.
Step 4. The Disrespect
This step isn't really needed, but I wanted to show pictures of the carnage after the rush. When Buckner hits on the move, he wins CLEAN. He will oftentimes send the opposing offensive lineman flailing as he turns the corner for the sack/quarterback hit (as pictured below).
The Finished Product
I know that I spent yesterday raving about how effective Yannick Ngakoue's cross-chop is, but this move may be on a whole other level. Buckner's swim move is powerful yet smooth, as he glides around interior offensive linemen for easy sacks.
Where Ngakoue's move is more precise, this one is just overpowering. Buckner overwhelms his opponent from the start of the play, and the result is some truly beautiful sacks.
The Bottom Line
There really isn't much more to say about DeForest Buckner that hasn't been said already. He is a superstar pass rusher that has been the perfect leader for this Colts' team. With the change to a more pass rush-friendly scheme, Buckner could be looking at a career-best season in 2022.
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