Deone Walker

Former defensive tackle at Kentucky. 2024: 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 37 tackles.

DT · Kentucky · Jr.

6′6″ · 345 lb · Detroit, MI

CFB Index 72 · #56 of 285 interior linemenLow confidenceAll-ConferenceBuffalo — drafted 2025, Rd 4, Pick 7, #109 overall

Recruiting

4★

DL recruit

No. 290 nationally · Signed with Kentucky

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former defensive tackle at Kentucky. 2024: 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 37 tackles.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Kentucky in 2022.
Drafted round 4 by the Buffalo in 2025.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Three seasons at Kentucky, 131 tackles — drafted at #109 overall by Buffalo.

His career

He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.

202212 games

Signed with Kentucky4-star out of Cass Technical
All-SECsecond

202313 games

All-SECsecond

202410 games

All-SECsecond

2025

Drafted by Buffaloround 4, pick 109

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#290 national

CFB

College

Kentucky

2022–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

R4 · #109

Buffalo · 2025

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

3 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-SEC · 2ND TEAM

All-SEC 2nd team (2024)

Coaching lineage · 2022–2024

1 coach

2022–2024

Mark Stoops

Kentucky

Played his entire career under Mark Stoops.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

BuffaloEntering 2nd NFL season

#109Rd 4 · Pick 7

BuffaloEntering 2nd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

3 seasons under Mark Stoops — 18-20 over that span.

2022Kentucky7-6HC: Mark Stoops · Run-leaning, slow tempo

2023Kentucky7-6HC: Mark Stoops · Balanced, slow tempo

2024Kentucky4-8HC: Mark Stoops · Run-leaning, slow tempo

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

72Quality starter #56 of 285?

Low confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: qb hurries (23rd percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Tackles for loss#571 / 2892 · 78th pct

5.0

Sacks#714 / 2892 · 73rd pct

1.5

Passes defended#755 / 2892 · 67th pct

Tackles#1043 / 2892 · 63rd pct

Forced fumbles#55 / 700 · 46th pct

Solo tackles#1627 / 2892 · 42nd pct

QB hurries#1536 / 2892 · 23rd pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 10 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home6g	3.5	0.3	0.2	0.2
Road4g	4.0	0.8	0.1	0.2

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-75g	4.0	0.4	0.1	0.2
Weeks 8+5g	3.4	0.6	0.2	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Will Stein

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

72 · #56 of 285 interior linemen

Former four-star. Now #56 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Kentucky	37	13	5.0	1.5	2	--	--
2023	Kentucky	55	28	12.5	7.5	2	--	--
2022	Kentucky	39	11	3.5	1.0	2	--	--
Career		131	52	21.0	10.0	6	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 5 · 2024

W 20–17

at Ole Miss

4 TOT · 1 SOLO · 0 SACKS

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 on the road.

With B. Vandagriff — 243 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 75.3 · 3 rush yds (17 car) · A. Laros — 42 AVG · 53 LONG · 5 NO

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 10 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 2	L 6-31vs South Carolina	3	1	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 3	L 12-13vs Georgia	4	0	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 4	W 41-6vs Ohio	4	1	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	W 20-17@ Ole Miss	4	1	1.0	0.5	—	0
Wk 7	L 13-20vs Vanderbilt	5	3	0.0	0.0	—	0	Season-high 5 tackles
Wk 8	L 20-48@ Florida	5	1	1.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 9	L 10-24vs Auburn	4	2	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 10	L 18-28@ Tennessee	3	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	L 14-31@ Texas	4	2	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 14	L 14-41vs Louisville	1	0	0.0	0.0	—	0
Total		37	13	5.0	1.5	—	2

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology