NFL Draft
4/10/25
4 min read
Teddye Buchanan 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For California Golden Bears LB
Height: 6021 (verified)
Weight: 233lbs (verified)
Year: Redshirt Senior
Pro Comparison: Chance Campbell
Scouting Overview
California Golden Bears linebacker Teddye Buchanan is a plus athlete who projects as a depth/role player at the NFL level. His one year with Cal serves as inspiration for intriguing developmental potential, but Buchanan does not profile as a starting caliber linebacker; instead, he is more of a player between roles.
He’s got good burst and twitch and has been a disciplined tackler who reliably finishes his opportunities. However, his play diagnosis is modest, and he’s better when left to truly pursue the football, which may make him a better fit for special teams at the NFL level.
2025 NFL Combine Results
| Position | Name | School | 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Split | Broad Jump | Vertical Jump | 3-Cone Drill | 20-Yard Shuttle | Bench Press |
| LB | Teddye Buchanan | California | 4.6 | 1.59 | 125 | 40 | 26 |
Positives
- Shows good first-step quickness and effective pursuit range as a rally defender
- Boasts more than 450 snaps on special teams throughout five-year career
- Illustrates ability as a pressure add-on player to offer some passing down potential
Negatives
- Does not have the play-processing consistency to be ready for NFL assignments as a linebacker
- Only one year of play at Cal after four seasons at UC Davis
- Smaller reach and wingspan create added challenges to play effectively in the box
Background
Buchanan is from San Francisco, CA, and played football for St. Ignatius College Prep. There, he was a 3-star recruit (247 Sports) and a two-way talent who played both linebacker and quarterback. He would go on to commit to UC Davis as a member of their 2020 recruiting class.
Buchanan would play at UC Davis through the 2023 season. He assumed a starting role with the team in 2021 after playing as a rotational defender during the spring 2020 season. He would lead UC Davis twice in tackles and was nominated as a team captain.
After the 2023 season, Buchanan entered the transfer portal as a 3-star transfer (247 Sports) and landed with Cal. He would go on to be named First Team All-ACC in his one season with the program, posting 114 tackles to lead the Bears.
Tale Of The Tape
Buchanan is a trip — he’s a rabid pursuit player who offers better tackling production and consistency than you’d expect for a player with a smaller wingspan and tackle radius. Still, he’s a hot-motor guy who clearly loves ball based on his film and complements that with a plus athletic profile and the potential for upward mobility thanks in part to one year of playing at Cal.
He pops much more when given a directive to play forward and go or simply let his athleticism shine than a processor or diagnoser. Buchanan shows enough fluidity to play as a zone coverage dropper and should be considered a potential developmental talent to grow in man-to-man coverage, which would give him a full complement of skills to serve as a dime linebacker.
Given his productivity as a pressure player and the burst to attack from depth, he’s a viable blitzer. He could be seen as a subpackage piece to help amplify game plans as he continues to develop into his coverage role. Still, he’ll need to expand his peripheral vision in zone and grow a more consistent sense of routes developing around him in the intermediate areas of the field.
As a run defender, Buchanan hasn’t shown a great sense of playing into the teeth of the run. He has not illustrated great take-on ability and is more of a scrape-and-flow defender to run over the top of the play in pursuit before making tackles.
He does have the range to flow with plays that stretch and hit outside the numbers, but he lacks the downhill anticipation or consistency to trigger here and be considered a three-down player right now.
He could certainly get there, which is why he should be considered a developmental talent who, in a perfect world, develops his sense of anticipation as a processor. Even if he doesn’t, Buchanan should be considered a productive special teamer moving forward, thanks to his motor, athleticism, and tackling consistency.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Buchanan projects as a depth linebacker at the NFL level. He does bring value as a blitzer and pressure player, but that scope is too narrow without added growth in his early-down responsibilities.
As is, he’s a plus athlete who should make an impact and carve out a role as a core-four special teamer.
Grade: 69.50/100.00, Sixth Round Value
Big Board Rank: 208
Position Rank: LB16
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