Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Deone Walker had a breakout season in 2023 at the University of Kentucky with 7.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and earned First-Team All-SEC honors. Had he declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, he likely would have been among the top defensive tackles available.
But Walker's 2024 season with the Wildcats didn't play out so well.
His numbers dropped to just 1.5 sacks and five tackles for loss. His draft stock dropped along with those numbers, and Walker didn't come off the board until the Bills traded up 23 spots to select him in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Unbeknownst to Walker at the time, he was playing through a stress fracture in his back, but it wasn't diagnosed until he showed up at the NFL Combine in February. Walker told reporters there were days the pain was so bad, he could barely get out of bed.
However, he still played in 11 games for the Wildcats in 2024.
Walker, who is just 21 years old, is a big human being. He stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 331 pounds, although he played at as much as 345 pounds last season. His 34.5-inch arms are in the 88th percentile of NFL interior defensive linemen.
A native of Detroit, Walker was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, and had some 30 scholarship offers to choose from, including Alabama, Georgia and Michigan. He opted for the University of Kentucky, where he started as a true freshman in 2022.
Over his three years in Lexington, Walker played in 37 games, 36 of which he started. He totaled 132 tackles, 10 sacks, 22 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hits, while frequently facing double teams.
Well-respected by his teammates, which included Bills' first-round pick Maxwell Hairston, Walker was twice named a team captain. He told reporters he models his game after longtime NFL defensive lineman Calais Campbell since they are similar in height.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane says Walker can play both the one and three technique positions. Right now, the Bills see him as a three, but Beane added that Walker is big and strong, and will get stronger once he works with the Bills' strength and conditioning staff. That could allow him to play the one technique, if needed.
The Bills met with Walker at the Combine, and had him in town as one of their 30 pre-draft visits. Beane said they were impressed with his football smarts.
Related
Here is what Joe Marino from the "Locked On Bills" and "Locked on NFL Scouting" podcasts had to say about Walker:
Positives:
I think you like that Deone Walker’s a three-year starter and two-time team captain at Kentucky.
Obviously the 2023 season is the one that people are excited about, and you layer that with him being very young, 19-20-years-old, doing that against SEC competition is impressive.
I think he’s got really good upper-body strength. He carries a lot of mass up top, and I think there’s moments of quick, violent hands. There are some bursty moments where you’re a little surprised that a guy at 6-foot-7, 345 pounds can move like that.
You certainly cling to some of those highs, and you can get excited about the profile at the next level.
Concerns:
I think it’s the body type. He carries a lot of weight up top. He lacks mass and strength in his lower half, and anytime he has to recruit his lower half for power, I think he struggles. Because he’s so top-heavy, I think it leads to challenges with contact balance, and his overall anchor.
For a guy that is as big as he is, you’d expect a better anchor against the run. But you see him get pushed around, and even put on the ground quite a bit.
He’s a really unique player that he’s massive, but he doesn’t play big. He’s kind of a finesse-style player, which leads to some fun splash plays. But the down-to-down consistency, it fails him a little bit because he doesn’t have enough power in his lower half.
In addition to, of course, the back injury for a guy of his size.
The rookies will be in town for minicamp from May 9-11.