Deone Bucannon drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round

Deone Bucannon, a four-year starter at Washington State who culminated his career by being named an AP All-American in 2013, realized a dream when he was selected by the Arizona Carcinals in first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday.

Drafted No. 27 overall, Bucannon becomes the highest drafted WSU player since Marcus Trufant was taken 11th overall by the Seattle Seahawks in 2003. 

Projected to be a strong safety at the NFL level, Bucannon put up some prodigious tackling numbers at WSU -- he finished his career with 384 tackles, fourth most in school history. His 268 solo tackles were second most in WSU history. He also picked off 15 passes, good for third in school history.

You can find a full scouting report of Bucannon's skills here, but in a nutshell: He's a big hitter in the Kam Chancellor mold who will patrol the middle of the field and excel in run support. His coverage skills are competent, but not a strength. His experience could allow him to start immediately, but at the very least, he'll be a productive special teams player until he's ready to see the field full time.

Congratulations to Bucannon. Go Cougs!