After playing through back injury in 2024, Deone Walker looks to rebuild NFL draft stock
Former Kentucky football defensive lineman Deone Walker celebrated his 21st birthday Tuesday by participating in a handful of drills in front of NFL scouts at UK’s annual pro day.
While Walker walked away pleased with his performance, which came a few weeks after he showcased his skills at the NFL combine, even he acknowledged this has not been the pre-draft season many anticipated for him when he entered the 2024 season projected as a possible first-round pick.
The breakout season predicted for Walker never materialized. His individual statistics dipped as Kentucky struggled to a 4-8 record.
While Walker played in 11 of 12 games last fall, a nagging back injury affected his performance, he revealed Wednesday.
“It was the whole season,” Walker said. “Y’all can go look back at the games, y’all probably see me on the sideline bent over, just because it’s hurting so bad.”
Walker was diagnosed with a pars defect, which is a small fracture between two vertebrae in the spine. Rest, medication and physical therapy are the most common treatments, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Of course, rest is hard to come by during a college football season with only 12 opportunities to play in the regular season. Walker only missed UK’s game against FCS Murray State, which was played one week after the school’s eight-season bowl streak was snapped with a loss at Texas.
Walker acknowledged he considered sitting out more games in hopes the injury would improve, but he even returned for the regular season finale when the only thing left to play for was bragging rights against archrival Louisville.
“A bunch of our guys went down,” Walker said. “I didn’t want people to think I’m sitting out for the wrong reasons, just because I’m scared that I’m gonna get injured. I go 110% for this team.”
When Walker met with NFL teams during the combine, his back injury was a frequent topic of their questions. The time to rest after the season ended appears to have fixed the problem, Walker said, but he acknowledged he is still working his way back into game shape.
Walker participated in only the vertical jump and the broad jump at the combine. He completed the bench press and 40-yard dash during UK’s pro day, but his unofficial results in those drills would have only ranked in the middle of the pack at his position during the combine.
After 55 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2022, Walker recorded just 37 tackles, five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks as a junior. The 6-foot-7 lineman still boasts rare athleticism for his massive frame — he reported weighing in at 328 on pro day — but his standing in mock drafts has plummeted since last summer.
In its most recent mock, The Athletic projected Walker as a third-round pick. Still, Walker never seriously considered returning to UK for his final season of eligibility in hopes of proving what he could do when healthy.
“I’m accountable for the season that I had,” he said. “I’m accountable for the film that I put on tape. So, I’m just trying to put my head down, work and get back up there.”
Pro day marked the end of the workout phase of the pre-draft process, but Walker still has a chance to impress teams that host him for top-30 visits in the coming weeks. He knows there is more conditioning work to do as well to ensure he is in the best shape possible to prove himself in training camp for whatever team drafts him.
“The same guy that was out there during my sophomore season, the 2023 season, you’re getting that same player, if not better,” Walker said. “... I just like to be where my feet are, be grounded. It happened. Ain’t nothing you can do about the film out there. It’s what you’re gonna do after.”