2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Deone Walker

Prospect Summary:

Walker had an interesting career at Kentucky. In 2022, he had a strong debut with 40 tackles, one sack, and two passes batted. As a sophomore, Walker was even better and an impact player at the point of attack. He totaled 7.5 sacks with 12.5 tackles for a loss, 55 tackles, two passes batted, and eight quarterback hurries. He was one of the best defensive linemen in college football in 2023. The 2024 season was disappointing as Walker had periods of very quiet play, especially as the losses mounted. Walker had 37 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two passes defended in his final season with the Wildcats.

Walker is a difficult evaluation for the NFL because he was a completely different player over his final two seasons of college football. In 2023, he showed loose hips with quick twitch movement ability. He has surprising speed and agility for such a large interior defensive lineman. However, in 2024, offensive linemen were ready, and Walker showed no power moves. He played too high and was unable to use his size to his advantage. Walker was not powerful, physical, or show the strength to shed blocks or bull offensive linemen down the pocket. Walker played like he thought he was an undersized speed rusher, and the results were not good.

In the ground game, Walker did a decent job in 2023 of standing his ground and holding his gap. He flashed some ability to shed blocks and flow down the line to make tackles near the line of scrimmage. In 2024, he was decent at times but less of a presence in run defense.

Entering the 2024 season, Walker looked like a first-round pick and a player with high first-round potential. After his ugly final season with the Wildcats, Walker looked like a mid-round backup who will get drafted based on his 2023 tape. Perhaps Walker was protecting himself and trying to avoid getting injured in his final season, which might explain the quiet season.