The Buffalo Bills may have a draft steal on their hands from this past draft with defensive tackle Deone Walker. Drafted in the 4th round, the Bills traded up to acquire Walker so they clearly liked what they saw from him. Not to mention, they also traded up for T.J. Sanders in the second round.
Coming out of Kentucky, Walker was a massive prospect who had a lot of upside after a strong 2023 season. However, dealing with a back injury in 2024 held him back from producing at a high level and that’s why he dropped to the third day of the draft.
The Bills have had major issues at having a solid run-defense the last couple of seasons. Now they have Walker who plug up the middle and take on double teams to create a mess at the line of scrimmage. Just this preseason, fans got to see Walker shine a bit and now he's getting well-deserved recognition.
DT Deone Walker gets solid Week 3 preseason grade
Chad Reuter from NFL.com gave Walker an A- for his performance against the Buccaneers in the Bills’ preseason finale win. Here’s what Reuter said about Walker:
"The 6-foot-7, 331-pound Walker stood out in Buffalo's win in Tampa. He was knocked to the ground by the Bucs' Luke Haggard on the game's second play but used his initial quickness and pure bulk to get into the backfield on the following two snaps. On the next drive, Walker tossed aside a guard to swallow the running back for no gain and then bull rushed a blocker to share a sack. He got free of the center with a push-pull move in the second quarter, creating a 4-yard loss. Double teams turned Walker's shoulders at times, making him less effective maintaining the line of scrimmage."Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Walker had a solid preseason overall and it shows that the Bills may have themselves a future star on their hands and it only cost them a third day pick in the draft. Now granted, Walker is going to have some growing pains like any other young player. While he has a high ceiling, he could also become a bust.
At the end of the day, the reps that he should be getting this season will continue to help him grow as a player during the tenure of his rookie contract with the Bills.