We shouldn’t be making any bold proclamations after a single preseason game. And that goes in either direction. If a player has a big game, it doesn’t mean that the player should book a hotel in Canton for the Hall of Fame. Likewise, a bad performance doesn’t indicate that a player will never perform well during the regular season.
But there were several players for the Bills in Week 2 of the preseason who would soon like to forget how they played against the Bears. And one such player is Deone Walker, a fourth-round pick from Kentucky. After a strong debut, Walker came crashing down to earth in Week 2 of the preseason along with the rest of the defensive line.
Walker reminded everyone why he was a Day 3 pick on Sunday
Walker showed a lot of talent as a pass rusher during the team’s first preseason game and did it again against the Bears. While he is never going to be a double-digit sack player in the NFL, Walker is much more athletic and nimble than you would expect for a player of his size. He did record one pressure on Sunday night, and it’s a reminder of what he can do at the NFL level.
However, all of the other flaws in Walker’s game were on full display against the Bears, including his liability as a run defender. You would think a player listed at 6-6, 345 pounds would be an immovable object in the run game, but that’s not the case.
In fact, he’s a poor run defender due to his pad level, and his inability to hold up against double teams is a major issue. Walker was one of the Bills' lowest-graded players in Week 2, according to Pro Football Focus, mostly due to the fact of how bad he was in the run game.
No one should panic too much about Walker after one preseason game, but his strengths and weaknesses were on full display against the Bears. He is a talented player, but he is undoubtedly flawed, and the Bills would be wise to limit his playing time as a rookie. Look for Walker to see extended action in Week 3 of the preseason, but Sunday night was a good reminder of why he fell to the fourth round despite his freakish size and quickness.