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Nearly 70 family members, friends, coaches and former teammates were gathered around Walker outside his home in Lexington, Kentucky, when the Bills traded up to select the game-wrecking big man from the University of Kentucky.

A grin flashed across his face when his name was announced on stage at the NFL draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin. His eyes welled with tears. Then, for a moment, he couldn鈥檛 breathe. Sanquanetta Walker wrapped her arms around her son鈥檚 neck and squeezed.

鈥淭he emotions were high,鈥� Walker, 21, recalled following a recent practice at One Bills Drive. 鈥淢y mom almost choked me when she heard my name picked. Everybody was happy.鈥�

They were also relieved for Deone. He wasn鈥檛 frustrated or angry while waiting through Rounds 1, 2 or 3. He wasn鈥檛 resentful that he slipped to the 109th overall pick, less than one year after he was labeled a future first-rounder and possible top 10 selection. Through the praise and criticism, he stayed the same 鈥� humble, kind, thoughtful and determined.

They saw the dedication, resilience and humility he carried throughout his football journey 鈥� even in the fall when he played through pain, discomfort and stiffness as a junior at Kentucky. He didn鈥檛 complain. He refused to sit out more games, even though doing so would have explained to NFL teams why he wasn鈥檛 blowing up opponents鈥� game plans as he did as a sophomore. When medical tests at the scouting combine in March revealed the cause 鈥� a fracture between two vertebrae, he didn鈥檛 view the diagnosis as an excuse or a reason to lose hope.

Neither did the people who wanted to celebrate the moment his NFL dream became a reality, though they didn鈥檛 want to see him wait any longer. All he wanted was an opportunity from someone who believed in his talent, even if he had to sign as an undrafted free agent. And in Buffalo, he found a group of people who saw past the injury. Bills general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott saw Walker鈥檚 untapped potential as an important addition to a Super Bowl contender.

鈥淚鈥檝e just got to trust that I鈥檓 going to get better every day,鈥� the rookie said. 鈥淚鈥檝e got to trust that I鈥檓 going to get back to, or be even better than, how I played in my 2023 season. They really took a chance on me here. They believe in me, and I鈥檓 going to show them what I can do.鈥�

鈥楬e鈥檚 special鈥�

Scouts questioned Kentucky鈥檚 coaches about Walker鈥檚 participation, or lack thereof, at some practices in the fall.

Where was the preseason All-American who terrorized quarterbacks in the SEC the previous two seasons? And when Walker was in drills, why wasn鈥檛 he rag-dolling offensive linemen? Why wasn鈥檛 he moving as well as he used to?

As defensive line coach Anwar Stewart explained, Walker鈥檚 hips kept tightening up. There wasn鈥檛 a long-term concern, but the medical staff prescribed rest and treatment between games. The Wildcats鈥� coaches stressed to every NFL visitor that Walker refused to play fewer snaps. He didn鈥檛 want to let down his coaches and teammates, whom he considered family. The only game he missed was a blowout win over an FCS opponent, Murray State, because he鈥檇 aggravated the injury in the middle of the season. Walker averaged more than 50 snaps per game, but his production and impact weren鈥檛 the same.

He created 24 fewer pressures as a junior 鈥� his 51 in 2023 were the most in the country by an interior defensive lineman, according to Pro Football Focus 鈥� and, across 11 games, he had just 11 solo tackles with five tackles for a loss.

鈥淚n 2023, he was definitely the best defensive player in the entire country,鈥� Stewart said. 鈥淗e fought through that back injury because he didn鈥檛 want to let his team down. It showed his resilience and toughness. Did it hurt him? Now, looking back, yes, but he wanted to play with his boys and win. 鈥� He鈥檚 special, and when this kid is healthy and he鈥檚 100%, he鈥檚 a handful.鈥�

There aren鈥檛 many people walking the planet with Walker鈥檚 combination of size, strength and agility. He has an 84鈪�-inch wingspan and 11鈪�-inch hands. In 2022, Walker was one of the top freshmen in the nation, and SEC coaches named him to their all-freshman team. He started the Wildcats鈥� final 11 games, then emerged as one of the best defensive players in the country as a sophomore.

Walker was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2023, leading Kentucky with 12陆 tackles for loss, including 7陆 sacks, and he was credited with eight hurries. He played every spot on the defensive line, including edge rusher, and he showed he was athletic enough to drop into coverage.

Opponents quickly learned they needed at least two blockers to prevent Walker from wrecking their game plan.

But Walker鈥檚 injury caused his pad level and technique to waver last season. Both need to catch up with his physical talent if he is going to realize his potential in the NFL.

The first step for the Bills was to get Walker healthy and ready for training camp. The diagnosis he received at the combine brought clarity, but he cared more about the recovery than how it impacted him on the field.

Doctors instructed Walker to strengthen his core, hips and glutes around the injury. They explained how to prevent it from happening again. And, as he showed throughout high school, Walker went to work.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a freak athlete,鈥� said Marvin Rushing, who coaches at Cass Tech High School in Detroit, where Walker grew up. 鈥淓ven at some points with us, he probably weighed 350-plus pounds, and the way he was able to move at that size just let you know he鈥檚 built different. ... He鈥檚 not sitting there looking for a handout. He鈥檚 not expecting anything. I know the best is yet to come.鈥�

Walker鈥檚 growth

In the summer of 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cass Tech鈥檚 football players gathered on a video conference call. That is when Walker realized he looked much taller on camera than his teammates.

Walker decided to check his height and discovered that he鈥檇 grown 6 inches since his sophomore year ended that spring. His competition across Metro Detroit was about to learn what that meant on the football field and the basketball court.

Cass Tech used Walker as an offensive and defensive tackle. On the varsity basketball team, Walker鈥檚 movements were much smoother and efficient than you鈥檇 expect from someone his size. Students marveled over the way he snatched rebounds out of the air, then started fast breaks with a quick pass. College football coaches around the nation began to wage recruiting wars once they saw how much he鈥檇 grown.

鈥淲e moved him up and down the line on the defensive side of the ball, and he wreaked havoc,鈥� Rushing said.

Walker never thought he was better than anyone. The attention didn鈥檛 seem to change his affable nature. He loved football, basketball, bowling, video games 鈥� anything to spend time with his friends. But he didn鈥檛 yet understand the impact that he could make. To illustrate this to Walker, Rushing used video clips of longtime NFL defensive lineman Calais Campbell, who鈥檚 6-foot-8 and 300-plus pounds.

Walker trimmed weight and added muscle to prepare for college, then continued the process at Kentucky. During his top-30 visit to Orchard Park, Beane and McDermott cautioned Walker that if they were to pick him, the Bills strength staff would challenge him every day. Walker鈥檚 reply: 鈥淐ool, let鈥檚 get to work!鈥�

Coaches in college football鈥檚 best conference learned in 2022 that when they played Kentucky, they had to account for a freshman defensive tackle on each play 鈥� but they still couldn鈥檛 contain him. The Florida Gators didn鈥檛 expect Walker to line up at nose tackle in the fourth quarter when they called a run play on third down with the Wildcats leading by seven points.

Walker tossed aside the center and dropped the running back in the backfield for a 1-yard loss. Florida punted and Kentucky kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive to seal an upset win over the No. 12-ranked Gators. His sophomore season in 2023 was filled with similar feats of strength.

鈥淒eone Walker, to me 鈥� when you turn on the tape, he does things at his size that you鈥檙e not expecting someone at that size to be able to do,鈥� Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said.

Looking ahead

Kentucky鈥檚 defensive linemen were ready for Stewart to begin a game-planning meeting for the position group last season when Walker wheeled in a stack of boxes.

Each one contained a new pair of shoes for his teammates. They knew Walker had secured free merchandise through an NIL deal he鈥檇 earned in previous seasons. No one expected this gesture, but no one was surprised, either.

And, last summer, at a football camp Walker held at Cass Tech in Detroit, he gifted each participant a new pair of cleats. He smiled while recalling a camp he鈥檇 attended years earlier that was organized by Cowboys defensive tackle Justin Rogers.

鈥淓very time I think of it, I smile,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淲hy not help give that memory to somebody else? I love helping people.鈥�

Bills running back Ray Davis saw leadership qualities in Walker during their season as teammates at Kentucky in 2023. Walker鈥檚 approach off the field was noticeable and uncommon for a sophomore. It was typical to see the big guy sitting next to a trainer or equipment manager in the cafeteria. He treated support staff the same as the starting quarterback.

Walker plans to continue those acts of service in the NFL 鈥� but first, he must earn a job and role with the Bills. He made enough progress in recovering from the back injury to increase his practice reps to five per period during mandatory minicamp earlier this month. His workload will likely increase when training camp begins July 23 at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, and he doesn鈥檛 need to prepare to play 50 snaps per game as a rookie.

鈥淚 know he鈥檚 6-6, 300-and-some pounds, (but) you鈥檇 think he鈥檚 6-1 based on the way he moves,鈥� edge rusher Greg Rousseau said.

The Bills have Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones atop the depth chart at defensive tackle, and they used a second-round draft pick on T.J. Sanders from South Carolina. Walker won鈥檛 have to line up at edge rusher or drop into coverage.

Ideally, the Bills can use a deep rotation to try to get to the quarterback and stop the run. They can be strategic about when and where to rotate Walker into the game, either at one-technique or three-technique. He鈥檚 a key piece in their plan to get bigger and better on defense.

鈥淚鈥檓 very excited for him, but at the same time, I鈥檓 disappointed because (Walker鈥檚) definitely a first-round talent,鈥� said Stewart, his position coach at Kentucky. 鈥淲e all know that. He has a lot to go out there and prove. ... He鈥檚 ready to show those 31 other teams what they missed out on.鈥�