DW #96

Deone Walker

Defensive Tackle · Kentucky

A massive 6-foot-7 Kentucky nose tackle who started 16 games as a rookie for Buffalo despite playing through an undiagnosed back injury during the draft process.

Deone Walker's sheer size, 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, made him one of the most physically imposing defensive tackles in the 2025 draft class. The Detroit native started immediately for Buffalo as a rookie, anchoring the interior of the defensive line despite dealing with a stress fracture in his back that wasn't diagnosed until the combine.

★ Fourth-round pick, 2025 NFL Draft (No. 109 overall)

★ Three-time Second-Team All-SEC, Kentucky (2022-2024)

★ 16 starts as a rookie for Buffalo in 2025

★ 132 career tackles and 10 sacks at Kentucky

Path to the league

A four-star recruit out of Cass Technical High School in Detroit who fielded offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan and others, Walker chose Kentucky and played three seasons for the Wildcats from 2022 to 2024. He earned Second-Team All-SEC honors three times, highlighted by a 2023 season with 7.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. The Buffalo Bills drafted him in the fourth round, 109th overall, of the 2025 NFL Draft via a trade with Chicago.

Career highlights

Walker finished his Kentucky career with 132 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 10 sacks across 36 starts as a two-time team captain. He was playing through a stress fracture in his back that went undiagnosed until he arrived at the NFL Combine, a testament to his toughness heading into the draft.

2025 season recap

Walker started 16 of 17 games as a rookie for Buffalo, finishing with 39 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, four pass deflections and a fumble recovery. He added an interception in the playoffs, showing rare ball skills for a player his size as he settled into a full-time role on the Bills' interior defensive line.