Buffalo Bills add massive defensive tackle who played through serious injury (5 things to know)

One day after selecting a smaller defensive tackle in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills came back in Round 4 to add a massive human being in Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker.

Buffalo acquired pick 109, a selection they sent to the Bears on Friday, in exchange for pick 132 and pick 169.

Here’s what Bills fans need to know about Walker.

Played through serious injury

One year after a breakout season (7.5 sacks, 13 TFLs), Walker’s play fell off in 2024. Walker was dealing with a back injury, but he had no idea just how severe it was. At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Walker learned that he had a stress fracture in his back.

He told the media that some days he felt fine last season, but also had times when he couldn’t get out of bed. Walker deserves a ton of praise for playing through such a serious injury.

Former team captain

Walker was well-respected at Kentucky. The defensive tackle was a two-time team captain (2023-2024).

Reunited with Max Hairston and T.J. Sanders

Walker played with Buffalo’s first round pick Max Hairston at Kentucky. Hairston actually hoped that they would be reunited in Buffalo.

At his introductory press conference, Hairston said the following on Walker.

“If we bring Deone here... Oooooh, I’m gonna for sure get that ball back then because he’s going to get in that quarterback’s face,” Hairston said.

Walker also has a relationship with Sanders as they were both part of the team defensive line on the American Team at the Senior Bowl.

Played at 345 pounds

Walker played at close to 345 pounds during his time at Kentucky. He slimmed down to 331 for the Senior Bowl and will likely play somewhere between that range in the NFL with the Bills.

Between his weight and height (6-feet-7-inches), Walker is a massive human being.

Models his game after Calais Campbell

Walker told the Bills media that he models his game after veteran Calais Campbell. He discussed the similarities he has with Campbell in an interview with Justin Melo of The Draft Network.

“My favorite defensive lineman ever is Calais Campbell. I love his game, I love watching his tape. We’re around the same size, maybe I’m a little bigger than him. He’s shown that you can be 6-foot-6, 6-foot-7 and still play the game at a high level.

He’s shown that he can use both his hands and his feet to defeat blocks. I do the same thing. It doesn’t have to just be brute force all the time."