Bills 4th Round Pick : Deone Walker - DT - Kentucky

[starrymessenger]

3 hours ago, thenorthremembers said:

My biggest hope for Deone is that our strength and conditioning program can reduce some of the weight he carries in his midsection.      He is a very big guy but for his size he doesnt look that stout in his lower body.   Carrying that much weight in his stomach will not help the back injury.    He doesnt look like a 1 tech to me.   He looks like 3 tech who should be playing closer to 310-315.    

He doesn't look like your prototypical 3 tech either (like Jordan Philips, although I think he can be more than that) . Dude is pretty much a unicorn. Something else that's encouraging is that his intangibles are very good. Team captain and loved by his teammates and coaches. Doubt the Bills would have drafted him, given the issues around whether he will translate to the pros, if his character was problematic. His good tape is excellent but we don't get to see his bad and meh reps (unless you follow Kentucky) which are certainly much more numerous. He needs to be better conditioned. He plays with a good motor until he gets puffed later in games.

Given where he was taken I absolutely love this pick. Upside is stratospheric.

[fergie's ire]

I saw some tape of the Sr. Bowl where he was using power and not just standing upright.  My hope is that he'll be the Josh of the defense.  If you remember, Josh had tremendous arm talent but his footwork was a huge concern, however.  At the Sr. Bowl, the tape showed he'd made big improvements in footwork...He wasn't there yet, but you started to see that progress.  If Walker can stay healthy and improve his mechanics, he could be a monster.

[Rigotz]

6 hours ago, starrymessenger said:

Disagree. In run defence drills at the senior bowl against guys who are going to be drafted or priority free agents he was very effective. 

 

Not trying to be a jerk, but did you watch him in college and have you seen the lower half of his body?

 

He's not a 1-tech. He's not good against the run and rarely occupies 2 blockers.

 

I'm not saying he's bad, I'm just saying calling him a 1-tech because he's big is the same as calling Jordan Phillips a 1-tech because he's big. It's not true.

[starrymessenger]

2 hours ago, Rigotz said:

 

Not trying to be a jerk, but did you watch him in college and have you seen the lower half of his body?

 

He's not a 1-tech. He's not good against the run and rarely occupies 2 blockers.

 

I'm not saying he's bad, I'm just saying calling him a 1-tech because he's big is the same as calling Jordan Phillips a 1-tech because he's big. It's not true.

All I've seen is his 2023/2024 highlights and his senior bowl tape/coverage. If you have followed him at Kentucky you are certainly in a better position to opine on him. I understand why you would compare him to Jordan Philips because that's what he can look and play like. The tape suggests that. But that comp, while obvious, might be incomplete. 
I agree that his strength is in his upper body and that his lower body needs to get stronger. But that's a big part of what he needs to work on if he is going to play with a lower pad level. I don't know if you would call it job one but it's certainly very important. If he can't do that his chance of succeeding will be lessened. I am assuming without knowing for certain that a strength and conditioning program will enable him to get there. But maybe this is just a consequence of his unusual body type. I hope not.
I'm glad you said he "rarely" occupied two blockers (instead of never) because even based on my limited exposure I've seen him do it against good competition. I can credit your statement though based on your greater familiarity with his play.  But I will add that I've seen tape of him showing exceptional lateral mobility for a guy his size pursuing on sweeps and penetrating, not to pressure the quarterback, but to disrupt the run game. There was a senior bowl rep where a 280 pound guard was supposed to disengage from the defender and accede to the second level. He wound up in exactly the same spot after the snap as before. 
I think he can perhaps develop into the kind of player who has positional versatility along the line.

No doubt for now he is a controversial, polarizing player. 

 
 

Edited 6 hours ago by starrymessenger

[Turbo44]

2 hours ago, Rigotz said:

 

Not trying to be a jerk, but did you watch him in college and have you seen the lower half of his body?

 

He's not a 1-tech. He's not good against the run and rarely occupies 2 blockers.

 

I'm not saying he's bad, I'm just saying calling him a 1-tech because he's big is the same as calling Jordan Phillips a 1-tech because he's big. It's not true.

Beane and McDermott seem to Disagree with you - they’re not always right but I’ll trust them

[Allen2Moulds]

The Kentucky beat reporter stated that he was pretty much unbloackabke in 2023, and was constantly double teamed. There's certainly contrasting opinions on him

That being said, I believe this dude has a very high ceiling, but a lot has to right for him. Given his height, he's always going to struggle with pad level, but if they can get rid of the bad weight and turn it into good weight, it'll go a long way. One of the ways you can counter pad level is with quickness/momentum. The single most important trait in the trenches, is that 1st step explosiveness. I feel like he has that, and we just need to maximize that trait, and keep him healthy.

[thenorthremembers]

8 hours ago, starrymessenger said:

He doesn't look like your prototypical 3 tech either (like Jordan Philips, although I think he can be more than that) . Dude is pretty much a unicorn. Something else that's encouraging is that his intangibles are very good. Team captain and loved by his teammates and coaches. Doubt the Bills would have drafted him, given the issues around whether he will translate to the pros, if his character was problematic. His good tape is excellent but we don't get to see his bad and meh reps (unless you follow Kentucky) which are certainly much more numerous. He needs to be better conditioned. He plays with a good motor until he gets puffed later in games.

Given where he was taken I absolutely love this pick. Upside is stratospheric.

Jordan Phillips is actually a really good comparison.   That said, I think Jordan was a bit more wide through the shoulders and hips.  Even then he could have benefitted from playing a little lighter than 340. 

 

 Earlier in the draft process I would have been happy to get Walker at 30 so any later than that is a win.  I like the pick a lot but I do think he will benefit from a year in an NFL nutrition and conditioning program.

[BigAl2526]

Walker is very strong in his upper body and not so much below the waist.  I don't know enough about body building to know if he's likely to be able to add lean muscle mass to his legs.  The relative lack of strength in his legs is probably why he was used all over the line at Kentucky and only a minority of snaps at 1 tech.

[Rigotz]

3 hours ago, Turbo44 said:

Beane and McDermott seem to Disagree with you - they’re not always right but I’ll trust them

What did they say that indicates they think he’s a 1-Tech?

 

To my knowledge, they said the opposite. They specifically mentioned Carter as the potential 1T backup to Jones.

[stevewin]

1 hour ago, Rigotz said:

What did they say that indicates they think he’s a 1-Tech?

 

To my knowledge, they said the opposite. They specifically mentioned Carter as the potential 1T backup to Jones.

In Beane's PC he said he'd play both - their approach to Dline is similar to OL where they are looking for versatility.  As has been discussed in some threads - in the Bills scheme a 1 tech is not necessarily just a 400lb block of goo that can't be moved, they are looking for pass rush/penetration from all positions.

 

 

[GETTOTHE50]

12 minutes ago, stevewin said:

In Beane's PC he said he'd play both - their approach to Dline is similar to OL where they are looking for versatility.  As has been discussed in some threads - in the Bills scheme a 1 tech is not necessarily just a 400lb block of goo that can't be moved, they are looking for pass rush/penetration from all positions.

 

 

Yes I hope that means we see him get some safety reps