The Buffalo Bills were not messing around beefing up their defense this offseason. Brandon Beane made it a priority to improve the defensive line in various ways. Whether it was through free agency or the draft, this defensive line for the Bills will look somewhat different without a doubt.
They signed players like Joey Bosa, Michael Hoecht, and Larry Ogunjobi. Then they went ahead and drafted T.J. Sanders, Landon Jackson, and Deone Walker in the draft. Beane is sending a message to the rest of the league basically saying that if any team is trying to run on the Bills in 2025, good luck.
One player that was a bit of a surprise that fell down the draft board to the 4th-round was defensive tackle Deone Walker out of Kentucky. The Bills traded up in the 4th round to select Walker. Due to him playing with a back injury last season according to Ian Rapoport, his production dropped quite a bit. However, if he declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, he would have easily been a first round pick. However, the Bills might have got a huge steal with Walker in on Day 3 of the draft.
While Bills fans should be excited to see what Walker can bring to the team, not everyone is recognizing the potential impact that Walker can provide. Damian Parson from Bleacher Report listed five Day 3 rookies who are most likely to make the biggest immediate impact in 2025, but Parson left Walker off this list. Instead, Parson listed Bears’ RB Kyle Monangai, Panthers’ WR Jimmy Horn Jr., Giants’ RB Cam Skattebo, Chiefs’ WR Jalen Royals, and of course why not, Browns’ second drafted QB in Shedeur Sanders.
Bills’ DT Deone Walker is being badly overlooked
I guess we are just forgetting about what Walker did in 2023 with Kentucky. Even though his production declined because of the reported back injury, Walker completely dominated college football in 2023. As a true interior defender on the defensive line, Walker racked up 55 total tackles (28 solo), 13 tackles for a loss, and 7.5 sacks.
Standing at 6-foot-7 and and 344lbs, Walker is a true 1-technique who can force a double block on him that will allow a linebacker to fly in and make a play at or behind the line of scrimmage. He can cause a mess in the middle of the line to force a mistake for the offense.
His presence might be very similar to former Bills’ defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. He may not get the most impressive numbers at the pro level, but he does the dirty work in the middle of the trenches to allow others to shine behind him. As long as that back injury is indeed getting better and he’s 100% ready for the season, Walker’s name could be called more than we might expect because of the production he is putting together.