Johnny Buchanan

Johnny Christian Buchanan (born July 25, 1999) is an American football linebacker. He played college football at Delaware.

Early life Buchanan was born on July 25, 1999.

Buchanan grew up in Brick, New Jersey, and played freshman football at Brick Township High School before transferring to St. John Vianney High School. He was a two-way player at St. John Vianney, seeing time at running back and linebacker, and was considered one of their most versatile players. He followed the philosophy used by All-American East Carolina back Scott Harley, called "seek and destroy" – to "punish [the defenders] before they punish you." Buchanan said, "when I played running back, some of the most fun plays were making a quick move and going 70-yards untouched – but something about running through somebody's face is unmatched – so really I had the same mentality on both sides of the ball: make my opponent pay for carrying the ball or trying to tackle me." tackles, placing eighth in the state, four sacks, two forced fumbles, two recoveries and two interceptions as he helped his school reach the playoff semifinals. On offense, he posted 1,393 yards off 152 attempts with 17 touchdowns, and defensively he recorded 121 tackles, three sacks and an interception.NoteTag|The Delaware website lists 1,400 rushing yards and 130 tackles with four sacks, while the Asbury Park Press reported 1,393 rushing yards, 121 tackles and three sacks. After both Reeder and Bell graduated in 2019, Buchanan was able to see more action.

In the 2020 season, played in spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Buchanan started all eight games and recorded 42 tackles, placing second on the team, with one sack, helping them qualify for the playoffs. Buchanan appeared in all 11 games the following season, starting eight while leading the team with 81 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss, in addition to one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and a single interception.

After the firing of Danny Rocco in 2022, Buchanan entered the NCAA transfer portal, although he later decided to stay at Delaware. He also recorded 1.5 sacks, 8.5 , and one forced fumble with one recovered, being a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for best defensive player in the FCS. Buchanan posted in five games over 15 tackles, including a team record-tying 23 tackles in their win over FBS opponent Navy, for which he was named the national defensive player of the week.

Buchanan declared for the NFL draft following the 2022 season, finishing his stint at Delaware with a total of 326 tackles, including 16.5 for a loss, 2.5 sacks, four pass breakups, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles with two fumble recoveries.

Professional career NFL predraft height ft = 5 height in = 11 1/3 weight = 228 arm span = 30 3/8 hand span = 9 dash = 4.58 ten split = 1.56 twenty split = shuttle = 4.10 cone drill = 7.2 vertical = 40 broad ft = 10 broad in = 7 bench = 22 wonderlic = note = All values from pro day Afterwards, he was invited to attend local pro days with the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and New York Jets. He was projected as either a late-round selection in the 2023 NFL draft or a priority undrafted free agent. He was afterwards invited to the rookie minicamp of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

St. Louis Battlehawks On June 16, 2023, Buchanan was selected by the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL's Rookie Draft. He signed a letter of intent on October 18, 2023. He was placed on injured reserve on March 4, 2024.