Pre-draft He was considered as one of the top defensive backs in the 1993 NFL Draft, but drew slight concerns over his lack of size. According to the
Chicago Tribune, the teams that showed the most serious interest into Buchanan were the Atlanta Falcons,
Seattle Seahawks,
Dallas Cowboys, and
Washington Redskins. NFL draft analysts projected Buchanan to be a late first to early to mid second-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft.
Indianapolis Colts 1993 The
Indianapolis Colts selected Buchanan in the third round (65th overall) of the
1993 NFL draft. The Colts traded their third- (73rd overall) and fifth-round picks (127th overall) in the 1993 NFL Draft to the
Los Angeles Rams in return for the third-round pick (65th overall) they used to immediately select Buchanan. He was the eighth cornerback drafted in 1993. On July 26, 1993, the Colts signed Buchanan to a three–year, $660,000 rookie contract that included a
signing bonus of $285,000. On September 5, 1993, Buchanan made his professional regular season debut in the
Indianapolis Colts' home-opener against the
Miami Dolphins and recorded one solo tackle as they lost 20–24. On October 31, 1993, Buchanan made one solo tackle, a pass deflection, and had his first career interception off a pass thrown by
Scott Secules as they defeated the
New England Patriots 6–9. Head coach
Ted Marchibroda named Buchanan the starting free safety entering Week 14, replacing
John Baylor. On December 5, 1993, Buchanan earned his first career start and recorded five combined tackles (four solo), set a season-high with two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass attempt by
Boomer Esiason during a 9–6 win at the
New York Jets. In Week 16, he set a season-high with 13 combined tackles (10 solo), had one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by
Bubby Brister during a 20–10 loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles. He finished his rookie season with 59 combined tackles (45 solo), seven pass deflections, and four interceptions in 16 games and five starts.
1994 On January 8, 1994, the
Indianapolis Colts hired
Bill Tobin as general manager. Defensive coordinator
Rick Venturi would be fired three days later and replaced by
Vince Tobin. Head coach Ted Marchibroda planned to move Buchanan back to cornerback after he transitioned to free safety to replace starter John Baylor, but opted to cancel the plan after starting strong safety
Jason Belser exercised a holdout and refused to attend training camp until his contract was resolved. He subsequently retained Buchanan as the starting free safety to begin the season and paired him with Jason Belser. On September 4, 1994, Buchanan started in the Colts' home-opener against the
Houston Oilers and recorded three combined tackles (two solo), one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by
Cody Carlson as they won 21–45. In Week 3, Buchanan set a season-high with 13 combined tackles (seven solo) and made two pass deflections during a 21–31 loss at the
Pittsburgh Steelers. On November 6, 1994, Buchanan recorded eight combined tackles (seven solo), a pass deflection, and returned an interception for the first touchdown of his career during a 21–22 upset loss at the
Miami Dolphins. With 7:41 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Colts led 14–12, Buchanan intercepted a pass
Dan Marino attempted to throw to wide receiver
Mark Ingram and returned it 28–yards for a touchdown to lead 21–12 after the PAT. Marino would lead a 10-point, fourth-quarter comeback to lead the Dolphins to a 21–22 win against the Colts. Entering Week 12, defensive coordinator Vince Tobin moved Buchanan from starting free safety to starting cornerback after demoting
Damon Watts. Watts became the starter after replacing
Ashley Ambrose after the first three games. Buchanan remained a starting cornerback for the last five games, with
David Tate taking over at free safety, and had the most successful run of his career. In Week 12, Buchanan earned his first start as a cornerback and recorded four solo tackles, three pass deflections, and sealed the Colts' 17–13 victory at the
Cincinnati Bengals by intercepting a pass by
Jeff Blake to wide receiver
Darnay Holmes in the endzone with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. On December 4, 1994, Buchanan made nine combined tackles (eight solo), one pass deflection, one sack, had his second pick-six of the season, and sealed the Colts' victory by recovering an onside kick attempt by
John Kasay with 4:10 remaining in their 31–19 win at the
Seattle Seahawks. On December 11, 1994, Buchanan made seven combined tackles (five solo), three pass deflections, set a season-high with two interceptions on passes thrown by
Drew Bledsoe, and returned an interception on a pass Bledsoe threw to wide receiver
Michael Timpson for a 90–yard touchdown during a 13–28 loss at the
New England Patriots. This marked his sixth interception in the last five consecutive games. In Week 17, he recorded nine combined tackles (seven solo), set a season-high with four pass deflections, and picked off a pass
Frank Reich attempted to throw to wide receiver
Andre Reed as the Colts defeated the
Buffalo Bills 9–10. He started all 16 games throughout the
1994 NFL season and set a career-high with 100 combined tackles (76 solo), 23 pass deflections, eight interceptions, and three touchdowns. He also recorded a fumble recovery and one sack.
1995 After an impressive performance to cap off the previous season taking over the starting cornerback role, Buchanan requested a new contract as he only has one–year remaining on his current contract, where he was set to make the minimum salary for a third–year veteran of $178,000. When he did not receive a new contract, Buchanan and teammate
Tony Siragusa both exercised contract holdouts and refused to attend spring camp or mandatory mini camp. He was named a starting cornerback to begin the season and was paired with
Eugene Daniel. On December 5, 1995, Buchanan recorded two solo tackles, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by
Eric Guliford to wide receiver
Mark Carrier during a 10–13 loss at the
Carolina Panthers. In Week 16, he set a season-high with nine solo tackles and made one pass deflection during a 24–27 loss to the
San Diego Chargers. He started in all 16 games at cornerback and made 83 combined tackles (68 solo), 17 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, one sack, and two interceptions. On January 14, 1996, Buchanan started in the
AFC Championship Game at the
Pittsburgh Steelers and recorded six combined tackles (five solo) and one pass deflection as they lost 16–20.
1996 On January 24, 1996, the
Indianapolis Colts signed Buchanan to a one–year, $1.80 million contract. On February 8, 1996, defensive coordinator
Vince Tobin left the Colts after he accepted the position as head coach with the
Arizona Cardinals. On February 15, 1996, the Colts promoted offensive coordinator
Lindy Infante to head coach following the departure of Ted Marchibroda who became the first head coach of the
Baltimore Ravens. Ted Marchibroda declined to re-sign with the Colts after they refused to increase his salary. Defensive coordinator
Jim Johnson retained Buchanan as the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with rookie
Dedric Mathis. In Week 8, he set a season-high with eight combined tackles (seven solo) and had one pass break-up during a 9–27 loss to the
New England Patriots. In Week 12, Buchanan recorded four solo tackles, set a season-high with two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass
Frank Reich threw to wide receiver
Jeff Graham during a 29–35 win against the
New York Jets. He was inactive for three games (Weeks 13–15) after suffering an injury to his thigh. He completed the
1996 NFL season with 63 combined tackles (52 solo), eight pass deflections, two interceptions, and one forced fumble in 13 games and 13 starts. On February 26, 1997, the Colts offered a one–year, $2.78 million transition tag to Buchanan. As an unrestricted free agent, other teams would acquire Buchanan if they made a larger offer. The Falcons signed Buchanan to immediately takeover as a starting cornerback following the departures of
Anthony Phillips,
Darnell Walker, and
Tim McKyer. On March 3, 1997, the Atlanta Falcons signed Buchanan to a four–year, $13 million contract that includes a $4 million signing bonus. Head coach
Dan Reeves named Buchanan the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with
Ronnie Bradford. In Week 9, Buchanan made three combined tackles (two solo), one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by
Kerry Collins to wide receiver
Rocket Ismail during a 12–21 loss at the
Carolina Panthers. He started all 16 games throughout the
1997 NFL season and finished with a total of 52 combined tackles (48 solo), 18 pass deflections, and five interceptions. In Week 4, Buchanan set a season-high with eight combined tackles (seven solo), made two pass break-ups, and intercepted a pass Steve Young threw to wide receiver
Jerry Rice during a 20–31 loss at the San Francisco 49ers. In Week 11, he made four solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by
Steve Young to tight end
Greg Clark as they defeated the
San Francisco 49ers 19–31. He started in all 16 games for the second consecutive season and finished with 61 combined tackles (54 solo), 22 pass deflections, and seven interceptions. On October 10, 1999, Buchanan made four solo tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass
Billy Joe Tolliver threw to wide receiver
Scott Slutzker during a 20–17 victory at the
New Orleans Saints. In Week 6, he set a season-high with eight solo tackles and made one pass deflection during a 13–41 loss against the
St. Louis Rams. On December 5, 1999, Buchanan recorded six combined tackles (five solo), set a season-high with three pass deflections, made two interceptions, and returned one for a touchdown as the Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints 12–35. His pick-six occurred after he intercepted a pass
Danny Wuerffel threw to wide receiver
Eddie Kennison and returned it 52–yards for a touchdown. He started all 16 games throughout the
1999 NFL season and finished with 63 combined tackles (57 solo), 18 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, 1 sack, and 1 touchdown. In Week 3, Buchanan made four combined tackles (three solo), a pass deflection, one interception, and helped secure a 15–10 victory at the
Carolina Panthers by recovering a fumble that
Ronnie Bradford forced by running back
Tim Biakabutuka with 4:10 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Falcons' led 13–10 at the time. On October 29, 2000, Buchanan recorded three solo tackles, two pass deflections, and set a season-high with two interceptions on passes by Steve Beuerlein as the Falcons defeated the Carolina Panthers 13–12. The following week, he recorded three solo tackles, made one pass deflection, a fumble recovery, and intercepted a pass attempt thrown by
Shaun King during a 14–7 loss against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10. In Week 13, he set a season-high with ten combined tackles (eight solo) during a 14–41 loss at the
Oakland Raiders. He started all 16 games for the fourth consecutive season and finished with 80 combined tackles (69 solo), 20 pass deflections, six interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. On November 18, 2001, Buchanan recorded three solo tackles, set a season-high with four pass deflections, and intercepted a pass
Brett Favre threw to wide receiver
Bill Schroeder during a 23–20 victory at the
Green Bay Packers. He started all 16 games for the fifth consecutive season and recorded 71 combined tackles (63 solo), 19 pass deflections, and five interceptions. Both drug tests were administered before the start of the Falcons' season-opener at the
Green Bay Packers. He said the failed tests for anabolic steroids was due to a nutritional supplement containing ephedrine, a substance banned by the NFL. The four-game suspension forfeited $600,000 of his salary. On October 20, 2002, Buchanan made two solo tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by
Randy Fasani to wide receiver
Steve Smith Sr. during a 30–0 victory at the
Carolina Panthers. In Week 13, Buchanan made five solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass
Daunte Culpepper threw to wide receiver
Randy Moss during a 30–24 overtime victory at the
Minnesota Vikings. He finished the season with 47 combined tackles (42 solo), 12 pass deflections, and two interceptions in 12 games and 12 starts. In Week 2, he set a season-high with seven solo tackles and three pass deflections during a 31–33 loss against the
Washington Redskins. On October 28, 2003, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips announced his decision to bench all of the starters in the secondary, including Buchanan, ahead of a Week 9 matchup against the
Philadelphia Eagles. Buchanan unexpectedly lost his role to Juran Bolden after he recently had returned from a knee injury and re-joined the active roster where he would remain the starting cornerback for he remainder of the season. At the time, the Falcons had a six-game losing streak and the defense were on pace to allow the second most yards in a single season in league history. On December 10, 2003, the
Atlanta Falcons fired head coach
Dan Reeves after they fell to a 3–10 record. Defensive coordinator
Wade Phillips was appointed to interim head coach for the rest of the season. He finished the season with 47 combined tackles (42 solo), eight pass deflections, and one interception in 15 games and eight starts. Buchanan immediately stated he intended to play free safety with the uncertainty of former starter,
Rod Woodson, returning after a knee injury. The Raiders were abundant with talent at the cornerback position at the time, with three former first-round picks in
Phillip Buchanon (2002),
Charles Woodson (1998), and
Nnamdi Asomugha (2003). He entered training camp projected as the starting free safety under defensive coordinator
Rob Ryan with his only minor competition being rookie
Stuart Schweigert. Head coach
Norv Turner named Buchanan the starting free safety to begin the season and paired him with
Marques Anderson. On September 19, 2004, Buchanan made five combined tackles (three solo), a pass deflection, and had his lone interception of the season on a pass
Drew Bledsoe threw to wide receiver
Travis Henry during a 13–10 win against the
Buffalo Bills. In Week 6, Buchanan set a season-high with ten combined tackles (nine solo) during a 3–31 loss at the
Denver Broncos. ==Career statistics==