The Buffalo Bills will be relying on a handful of young players to get them through this season, and one of those players could be second-year defensive tackle Deone Walker. Many people have high expectations for Walker this season, and CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles named him as a player who could make a significant leap in his second year.
“Walker’s physical talent is sky-high. For a 331-pounder, he showed incredible burst and quickness off the line in his rookie season, finishing 10th in PFF’s interior defender pass-rushing grades,” Pereles wrote on Tuesday. “Walker has to improve as a run defender, but if Ed Oliver is back and healthy, the 2025 fourth-round pick could get even more opportunities to be disruptive.”
Walker Could Make a Big Jump This Season
The Bills drafted Walker with the 109th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Kentucky. He appeared in all 17 games last season and started in 16 of them. Walker recorded 39 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss and one sack. Another year in the NFL could help him improve those numbers.
Buffalo will be transitioning from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, which means that Walker will be taking on a slightly different role this season.
Walker already discussed the new defense and how Leonhard plans to utilize him.
“It’s been fun,” said Walker in May on the “Centered on Buffalo” podcast with Eric Wood, via Bills ON SI’s Alex Brasky. “We are going slower. He wants us to learn the whole defense.”
“He wants us to learn what the corners are doing, when they’re doing it, how they’re doing it, what type of coverage we’re playing,” added Walker. “What we’re thinking on each type of play, each call. So he really wants us to become smarter football players.”
If Walker can emerge as a star this year, there is a good chance that the Bills could have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.
The Bills Might’ve Found a Steal With Walker
Walker seems to be a popular pick for an upcoming season. The Athletic’s Bills reporter, Tim Graham, named Walker as the Bills’ breakout player to watch.
“The 2025 fourth-round draft pick started every game after the season opener, making a strong impression at a position of need,” Graham wrote in early June. “Walker’s offseason mission has been conditioning to play all three downs. He said in June he had slimmed from last year’s playing weight of 338 pounds to 328 pounds. By a large margin, he led all Bills defensive linemen with 37 run stops. Walker recorded two half-sacks with 16 pressures. His eight tackles for losses finished behind only edge rusher Joey Bosa, and his four pass breakups tied for fourth behind three defensive backs. Walker, who just turned 22 in March, added two more pass breakups and snagged his first interception in the playoffs.”
It will be interesting to see what kind of start Walker gets off to this season and how he will perform in the new defense with the rest of the players.
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