Five months ago, Kentucky’s Deone Walker was considered the best player in the 2025 NFL Draft. And for good reason, too, Walker is a monster on the defensive line. He stands at 6’7″ and weighs 345 pounds. Walker recorded 132 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks during his three years with the Wildcats.
Walker broke onto the scene in 2023 with 7.5 sacks and, at times, looked unblockable. But he had an underwhelming 2024 season with just 1.5 sacks and struggled mightily. Because of this, Walker’s draft stock has tanked. The once number-one overall prospect is now barely considered a day-two pick. So, can Walker be a steal come April, or is his draft stock plummeting for good reason?
Nov. 11, 2023
Pros
For a guy who’s 6’7″ and 345 pounds, you’d think he’d strictly be a nose tackle. But Kentucky lined him up all over the defensive line. In 2024 he lined up in the A-gap 142 times, the B-gap, 247 times, over the tackle 99 times, outside of the tackle 36 times, and off the ball 16 times. At times Kentucky would even drop him into coverage. To put it simply the big man is versatile.
Deone Walker’s tape is NIGHTMARE FUEL 🤯
He’s amassed 97 pressures, 15 sacks, and 70 stops in 3 years playing EVERYWHERE—from nose tackle to edge rusher.
Imagine having to block a 6’7, 342lb lineman who is quick enough to be a stand-up pass rusher… pic.twitter.com/dxoZubwqIC
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) January 29, 2025
And Walker doesn’t play everywhere just because of his athleticism alone. He has an arsenal of pass-rush moves you rarely see from interior defenders. He has mastered the spin move and does a great job at punching linemen and creating separation. Walker also has no problem ripping or swimming past blockers.
Walker is a problem in the pass game and the run game, His lateral movement sets him apart from other defensive tackles, and he has one of the best get-offs in the NFL draft. Whether it’s a run or pass Walker could be in the backfield in a blink.
Deone Walker nearly walking the center into Jalen Milroe on a handoff pic.twitter.com/qAC7ja8jdq
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) January 28, 2025
Walker was so dominant in the SEC because of how quickly he got off the ball, and with his size he was nearly impossible to recover on, but that’s exactly where his problems stem from his size.
Cons
Walker’s biggest problems can be boiled down to one thing, his pad level. At his height that’s a big problem. At the college level, it wasn’t as big of a problem. More times than not he was bigger, stronger, and faster than who was blocking him. His technique didn’t matter because he was too big. But, in the NFL, he won’t have that luxury.
At the Senior Bowl, it was very apparent that Walker played way too high and was getting stood up in pass protection. Blockers were consistently getting leverage on Walker, and when they got a hand on him, it seemed like all his pass-rush moves disappeared.
UNC OL Willie Lampkin (5’10, 270) vs Kentucky DT Deone Walker (6’7, 340) pic.twitter.com/G1tnttxwCz
— Mason Kinnahan (@Mason_Kinnahan) January 28, 2025
In the clip above the 33rd ranked offensive lineman in the NFL draft, Willie Lampkin, stone-walled Deone Walker. If Lampkin can do this while giving up nine inches and 70 pounds, imagine what NFL veterans will be able to do to him.
Walker also has a problem of standing straight up against runs too. In the game against the Missouri Tigers, he constantly got double-teamed on run plays. And on plays where he didn’t win with his athleticism, he got driven back 5-10 yards every time.
He also had a brutal game against the number two guard in the draft, Tate Ratledge, and Georgia. Ratledge gave Walker all he could handle and dominated him in that matchup, and won almost every rep.
If you don’t think playing at a high pad level isn’t a problem look at Evan Neal. Neal is a similar prospect to Walker even though they play on different sides of the ball. Like Walker, Neal was a physical specimen at Alabama and dominated because of it. He also had number-one overall pick hype but eventually went seventh overall to the New York Giants. Neal dominated in college because of his size and strength but has struggled mightily in the pros because he never learned how to use leverage with his size. He’s now a fringe starter on a bad Giant’s offensive line.
NFL Draft Outlook
There’s a reason Deone Walker is considered the most polarizing player in the upcoming NFL draft. He arguably has the highest ceiling of all the prospects. He has flashed the ability to be the next Aaron Donald in the NFL, but he has a lot of growing to do.
Walker could end up going first round of the NFL draft based off of his upside alone. But he needs to land with a team that’s willing to develop him. He will be just 21 years old in April, so he has time to grow as a player. If he’s just thrown into the fire right away, there’s a chance we see Walker look more like a bust than anything. But if he’s given a few seasons to develop, he could be the steal of the NFL draft
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