Deone Walker Selected in NFL Draft Fourth Round by Buffalo Bills

Kentucky junior defensive lineman Deone Walker was chosen in the fourth round by the Buffalo Bills as the 109th overall pick in the 2025 National Football League Draft on Saturday in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  He joins UK teammates RB Ray Davis (2024 NFL Draft pick) and DB Maxwell Hairston (2025 NFL Draft pick) in Buffalo.

Walker, a 6-foot-7, 330-pound native of Detroit, proved a massive presence in the middle of UK’s defensive line the last three seasons, often drawing double teams. As a three-year letter winner and two-time team captain, he started in 36 of 37 career games played, including 35 in a row. Overall, he totaled 132 career tackles, including 22.0 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks. Additionally, he charted 13 quarterback hurries, six pass breakups, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

As a junior in 2024, Walker was named to Second Team All-Southeastern Conference by the Associated Press after totaling 37 total tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, in 11 games played. He also broke up a pair of passes and recovered a fumble.

He had 55 tackles as a sophomore in 2023 and led the team in tackles for loss (12.5), quarterback sacks (7.5) and quarterback hurries (eight). He was named a third-team All-American by College Football News, a fourth-team selection by Phil Steele and was a first-team All-SEC choice by the AP, Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus.

As a true freshman, Walker totaled 40 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and a forced fumble in 13 games. He earned True Freshman All-America honors by On3.com, Pro Football Focus, 247sports.com and The Athletic and was named a First Team Freshman All-American by Football Writers Association of America and College Football News. He became UK’s third FWAA Freshman All-American since the award’s inception in 2001 and its first since Benny Snell Jr. in 2016.

Kentucky/NFL Draft Notes:

• Walker is the 30th player drafted who played under head coach Mark Stoops at Kentucky, the second in the 2025 NFL Draft.
  • Twenty-six of the 30 players have been drafted since 2018.
• This is the seventh straight year that UK has had at least two players drafted, the first time that has happened since the 1984-91 drafts.
• Walker is the 18th defensive player to be drafted (Avery Williamson, Bud Dupree, Za’Darius Smith, Josh Forrest, Josh Allen, Lonnie Johnson, Mike Edwards, Jamin Davis, Kelvin Joseph, Quinton Bohanna, Brandin Echols, Phil Hoskins, Josh Paschal, Carrington Valentine, Andru Phillips, Trevin Wallace and Maxwell Hairston) who played under head coach Mark Stoops.
• Walker is the seventh defensive lineman drafted under Stoops:
  • Bud Dupree – 2015
  • Za’Darius Smith – 2015
  • Josh Hines-Allen – 2019
  • Quinton Bohanna – 2021
  • Phil Hoskins – 2021
  • Joshua Paschal – 2022
  • Deone Walker – 2025
• There have been nine other Wildcats drafted by the Bills, including Dave Gash (1962), Tom Hutchinson (1963), Will Grant and Gerald Blanton (1978), Rod Stewart (1979), Don Corbin (1984), Steve Johnson (2008), Ray Davis (2024) and Maxwell Hairston (2025).