Deone Walker with UK assistant coach Chris Collins at the Senior Bowl. (X Photo)
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane heard all the reasons why Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker dropped in the draft. However, he also believed Walker had the potential to be the defensive stopper the Bills needed to clog the middle against the run even if he might not be an elite pass rusher in the NFL.
Beane traded up in the fourth round to pick Walker and gamble that the back injury that limited Walker’s production in the 2024 season will not be a lingering problem.
“I had a very good grade on him before he ever played a game this year, based off his 2023 film,” said Beane. “His 2024 film was a little inconsistent. The more research you do, you find out he’s dealing with a back situation.
“This is a young, moldable player who is not anywhere near his ceiling. He’s a guy you want to get your hands on to see if you can grow and develop this guy. And I believe if he had come out a year ago, he would have been in the first round.”
Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice and Charles McDonald thought Walker was the “most interesting pick” the Bills made in this year’s draft.
“Walker was looked at as a potential first-round selection entering the season. But his up-and-down play combined with a back injury kept him on the board all the way until Day 3 of the draft. Walker is a mountain of a man whose game is more finesse-based (he aligned more as a 3-4 DE in college than nose tackle) than you’d expect for a player of his size,” they wrote.
“Round 4 is worth a stab on a player with this size and with real high-end flashes. With the Bills having depth at defensive tackle, Walker and the Bills coaches can continue to hone his game and help make his snaps as impactful as possible.”
Walker had 132 tackles at Kentucky with 22 tackles for loss. He also broke up six passes.
2 Responses
He will be a starter his second year. Hairston and Walker will both have productive rookie seasons. Its scary that they could still both be playing for us. Can you imagine how great our defense would be if they had came back? I wish both of them the best of luck and thanks for picking Kentucky!
I wish we were able to thank more guys for picking Kentucky!! We are still with 1 commit for 2026 in FB. This has to be of great concern for the powers to be at the top. Look at all of our targets that are picking other destinations and the total recruiting expenses to be drawing blanks. We are continuing to knock on the door of irrelevancy in the SEC and Stoops and coaching hires have to be feeling some major heat.