Kentucky DT Deone Walker is a mammoth of a prospect and that could end up pushing him down the Vikings' draft board
Welcome to SKOL Search 2025! This is the fifth year I have done SKOL Search with the sole mission being to find NFL Draft prospects for the Minnesota Vikings. Throughout the entire process, this will be the most comprehensive draft guide with a focus on the Vikings. Each year, I scout incoming draft prospects from […]
Welcome to SKOL Search 2025!
This is the fifth year I have done SKOL Search with the sole mission being to find NFL Draft prospects for the Minnesota Vikings. Throughout the entire process, this will be the most comprehensive draft guide with a focus on the Vikings.
Each year, I scout incoming draft prospects from a neutral perspective and try to see how they could fit with Minnesota. This will be general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's fourth NFL Draft and we have a good sense of what he likes in a prospect.
Going into the offseason, the Vikings have just three official selections with a fourth likely coming with a compensatory selection in the third round. However they choose to use them, they need to make the most out of their limited resources.
Deone Walker
- Kentucky
- Height: 6072
- Weight: 340
- Class: Third-year Junior
- Recruiting info: 4-star recruit in 2022 class per 247 Sports
- Stats: 132 tackles (53 solo), 23.0 TFLs, 10.0 sacks, 6 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble
- Games watched: Georgia 2023, Georgia 2024, Ole Miss 2024, Florida 2024
Strengths
- Athleticism: Walker is a very good size-adjusted athlete. He moves very well for a player of his size.
- Pass Rush Plan: You don't often see a nose tackle at his size have pass rush acumen, but he's flashed plus pass rush ability. He has a quick first step and uses his hands well to penetrate the backfield.
- Versatility: His projection will be at nose tackle, but he can play across the line of scrimmage in an even or odd front. His size and length allow him to play a two-gap role.
Weaknesses
- Pad Level: Walker's incredible size provides some problems. He doesn't have any knee bend and loses leverage consistently. At nose tackle, that just won't fly.
- Frame: Walker is not built in a traditional way. His lower half is very skinny, but the upper body is flush. That takes away his functional strength which, paired with his pad level, is a major negative.
- Stamina: A player at his size will be somewhat limited. As the games go on, you can tell that Walker loses steam.
Overview
| Trait | Grade |
|---|---|
Quickness/Penetration | 14.3/20 |
Power | 7.8/10 |
Pass Rush Moves | 7.5/10 |
Counters | 7.4/10 |
Leverage | 5.5/10 |
Tackling | 7.5/10 |
Size/Length | 9.4/10 |
Run Defense | 7.3/10 |
Awareness | 7.2/10 |
Grade | 73.9 Fourth Round Grade |
Walker is a fascinating prospect. It's very rare to see a player that size move as well as he does. However, his rare size offers major issues and those are a huge red flag.
The Vikings could utilize him up and down their defensive front, especially as a 4i/5T next to Harrison Phillips. However, I don't believe he will be worth a top 100 selection. If he's available in round five, that's worth the risk.
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