Deone Bucannon Just Thankful for 1st Round Opportunity from Arizona Cardinals

Deone Bucannon at his introductory press conference in Pheonix, AZ

Thinking back to Deone Bucannon’s special Thursday night will make any Coug both proud and emotional, but it’s even more riveting to actually see what it was like for Bucannon, along with his introductory weekend as a new member of the Arizona Cardinals.

Buc says it’s just “time to get to work” and that he’s just “very thankful for the opportunity” they have given him in Arizona. No doubt we will all be watching him very closely come Sundays this Fall. First though, let’s take a look back at what was a special weekend for our very own Deone Bucannon through a mixture of incredible quotes, links and tweets.

– A really cool mashup of what Deone’s first day at Arizona was like from the Cards’ official website, including him talking about his conversation with his mom on where he felt he fit best, his admiration for Adrian Wilson and more.

– AZCentral Sports’ Kent Somers breaks down how Bucannon fits as a Card:

"How he fits: He could start right away at strong safety. Last year’s starter, Yeremiah Bell, is unsigned and might retire. The Cardinals hope Bucannon helps them improve their coverage of tight ends, the one defensive weakness in 2013. Physically, Bucannon compares favorably to former Cardinals strong safety Adrian Wilson, according to General Manager Steve Keim."

– Breaking down the Cardinals’ selection of Deone Bucannon – a link to a little bit of a mixed reaction from AZ media members directly after his selection.

– Deone Bucannon introduced as a Cardinal – a link to Bucannon’s introductory press conference at the podium.

– GM Steve Keim and head coach Bruce Arians 1st round press conference – a link to the Cards’ GM and head coach at the podium talking about the impact of Deone on themselves and the team.

– Deone Bucannon 1st Draft – a link to Deone’s NFL Network special on who he is as a player.

– Directly after the pick was made this is what the NFL Network crew had to say about the pick below. (You can watch the announcement video on NFL.com)

NFL Network Analyst Mike Mayock:

"I’ll tell you right now, I really enjoyed watching this kid’s tape. 6-1, 211. If Calvin Pryor is a bullet… I’ll tell you what impact safety with size. I thought he was best in the box but he’s bigger and faster than Clinton-Dix or Calvin Pryor. I really like the kid, he fits a need. You pair him with Tyrann Mathieu on the back end, they signed Cromartie, this kid’s got a chance to make a difference quickly in Arizona. That’s a really good secondary, size, strength and toughness…Look at the size here, you kiddin’ me? Very fluid for a safety that size. The knock on him was can he play on the back end? The more tape I watched of him the more I felt like he could. His movement skills for a tall guy are excellent."

NFL Hall of Famer/NFL Network Analyst Michael Irvin:

"And their talking about winning the division. If it’s not a page out of Seattle’s playbook. Those big DB’s they have in Seattle… you know how big that is for Arizona."

NFL Hall of Famer/NFL Network Analyst Marshall Faulk:

"You know it’s a must at safety in today’s game, this kid’s looked like a natural catcher of the football, ya know, he’s not fighting it."

Former NFL head coach/NFL Network Analyst Steve Mariucci:

"Not only does he hit ya but he’s got 15 career interceptions so he’s got some good ball skills and range back there at safety. That’s a good choice."