Deone Walker, IDL, Kentucky
Size:
Height: 6073
Weight: 331
Arm: 34 ¼”
Hand: 10 ⅝”
Accomplishments:
First-Team All-SEC (2023)
“Deone Walker has a unique blend of size, strength, and quickness that he utilizes to be a playmaking, impactful interior pass rusher.”
Strengths:
First-step quickness/explosiveness
Athleticism/change of direction
Hand usage/detailed hand counters
Concerns:
Plays with high pad level
Inconsistent disengaging blocks
Struggles to sustain point of attack in the run game
Film Analysis:
Deone Walker is an experienced SEC starter who had a productive 2023 season with 7.5 sacks, which set the stage for him to be considered one of the best defensive linemen entering the 2024 season. The 2024 season saw a decrease in sack production to 1.5 sacks but the same flashy tools remain. At 6-foot-6 and 350 pounds, Walker's size combined with athleticism is rare and sets the stage for him being a difficult player for offensive linemen to consistently block when he’s rushing the quarterback.
As a pass-rushing IDL, Walker's skill set could be considered rare. Walker has a quick, explosive first step that he uses to attack upfield and immediately put offensive linemen in a reactionary mode. When in that reactionary mode, Walker uses his athleticism to move laterally and change direction instantly, as he is a nimble mover for a 350-pound IDL. Once in contact distance of the OL, he uses a wide array of hand counters to win. Walker is precise and can land his punches at a high percentage. Because he is so precise in his hand usage, he often wins the hand combat battle, which results in offensive linemen being off-balanced and Walker winning the rep to continue upfield to the quarterback. Walker's execution as a pass rusher is at a high level and he knows how to win quickly and efficiently. Outside of just using his hands, Walker can win off of athletic ability alone on twists and stunts. He can beat offensive linemen to a spot and turn the corner to get to the quarterback. Kentucky also aligned Walker at the edge rusher position and he proved to be able to beat OT and get pressure on the quarterback.
For everything that Walker provides as a pass-rushing IDL, there needs to be an improvement playing the run. Walker's best reps as an IDL are when he shoots a gap to get backfield penetration and disrupt the play. When Walker is asked to hold the point of attack, his issue of playing with high pad level shows. There are reps where Walker gets displaced off of the line of scrimmage and struggles to disengage from offensive linemen. This issue could force offenses to opt to run the play in his direction. Walker could improve this by keeping a higher pad level and attacking the offensive lineman. He can also get stronger to improve his upper-body strength, so he can disengage from offensive linemen and make the play on the ball-carrier.
For Walker entering the NFL, the focus should be on a dedicated improvement of his run defense. With that improvement, he has the opportunity to become one of the more impactful IDLs in the NFL.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Written By: Keith Sanchez
Exposures: Ole Miss (2024), Georgia (2024), Tennessee (2024), Texas (2024), Florida (2023), Georgia (2023), Tennessee (2023), Alabama (2023)
