Teddye Buchanan NFL Draft 2025: Scouting Report for Cal LB

HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 233

HAND: 9⅜”

ARM: 31⅜”

WINGSPAN: 75½”

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40-YARD DASH: 4.60

3-CONE: 7.24

SHUTTLE: 4.27

VERTICAL: 40"

BROAD JUMP: 10'5"

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POSITIVES

— Good athlete. Earned a 9.42 RAS at the NFL Scouting Combine.

— Solid change of direction and hip fluidity to help tighten windows when playing zone coverage or cover running backs on option routes.

— Comfortable working backwards and has the speed to play Tampa 2 coverage.

— Impressive ball skills for a linebacker. Has good hand-eye coordination and a knack for getting pass breakups or batting passes.

— Solid sideline-to-sideline speed for decent range versus outside runs and screens.

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NEGATIVES

— Shaky instincts against the run. Often fits to the wrong gap and will come too far downhill to get caught in the trash.

— Not physical when taking on blocks and lacks the strength to hold his ground against offensive linemen and good blocking tight ends.

— Doesn't have much pop behind his pads and tackles high, leading to extra yards after contact against running backs.

— Eyes lock onto the quarterback in zone coverage, making it difficult to locate receivers coming into his area.

— Too quick to crash downhill on the quarterback against scramble drills and will lose his man.

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NOTES

— 2-star recruit in the 2020 class, per 247Sports

— Injuries: 2019 (Broken thumb, sprained ACL in high school), 2022 (Undisclosed, missed 4 games)

— Played at UC Davis from 2020 to 2023 before transferring to Cal this past season

— 2024 First-Team All-ACC

— 2023 Second-Team All-Big Sky, Big Sky All-Academic Team

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OVERALL

Teddye Buchanan made a name for himself at the NFL Scouting Combine with some impressive testing numbers. That shows up on tape, as he's a good athlete to be an effective coverage linebacker. Also, he has impressive ball skills for a linebacker, showing a knack for getting pass breakups.

However, Buchanan will struggle to make an impact against the run in the NFL. His instincts are still a work in progress, and his ability to take on blocks is below-average. Additionally, his arm length is subpar, which limits the amount of extension he can get on blocks to stack and shed.

Overall, the Cal product is worth taking a chance on at the end of the draft due to his combination of size and athleticism. He'll have to prove himself in training camp to earn a roster spot, but he should offer value on special teams to help his case.

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GRADE: 5.7 (Backup/Draftable — 6th-7th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 269

POSITION RANK: LB17

PRO COMPARISON: Neville Hewitt

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder