Deone Walker-NT-Kentucky U.

Kenneth Grant is broadly considered the best NT in this draft class,… he's the only NT expected to go 1st round,… and rightly so, he's the only NT that, apart from being excellent against the run, can offer something pass rushing,…. the other NTs like Alfred Colllins or Ja'Maree Caldwell while also excelling against the run, cannot offer almost anything when pass rushing

there's only another NT that can offer as much as Grant pass rushing,… and this is Deone Walker,… here are some gardes and stats from both's 2023 season:

……………….........PFF Overall…….PFF Run def…...PFF P-rush...… Sacks........Hits.........Hurries.......Pressures

Kenneth Grant…...........80.4…………….73.0……………..78.4….......…...5….....…..3….....…..15..................23

Deone Walker…...........80,6…………….81,7……………...80,5……..........8….....…..4…….......39..................51

Walker had a better 2023 season, at least statistically,… and had some really astonishing stats for a NT,… like those 8 sacks,… or his total 51 pressures

but 2024 came and while Grant improved a bit, mainly his run defense (though his production came down a little bit), enough to be considered a sure 1st rounder, Walker's game went backwards,… which usually is a bad thing before the draft,… so he fell to be considered a 4th round pick

https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/news/deone-walker-back-injury-kentucky-football-nfl-draft-uk-pro-day/
as this article says:

"After wracking up 55 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, and 7.5 sacks as a sophomore, those numbers dropped drastically in 2024, tallying 37 tackles, 5 TFLs, and only 1.5 sacks. Something was wrong. Turns out, it was his back.
Walker was on and off the availability report, but the public was spared from specifics.
To speak in layman's terms, Deone Walker played his final season at Kentucky with a broken back.
"It was a pars defect," Walker said on Tuesday. "That's big terminology for me. I don't know what that means, but it healed itself up. Now, I only gotta do PT to keep it right."
A pars defect is a fracture on the wings of your vertebrae in the lumbar spine. It's a painful lower back injury, albeit one that's inconsistent. Some days you might feel fine, decide to grit and grind through a football game, then wake up and not be able to bend over to tie your shoe. I don't know how Deone only missed one game with the injury.
"It was the whole season. If you all can go back and look at the games, you probably see me on the sideline, bent over because it was hurting so bad."
He considered spending an extensive amount of time on the sideline to let the injury heal. Then, when other injuries stacked up on the defense — the group's other stars, Maxwell Hairson and D'Eryk Jackson, each missed at least a month of football — Deone decided to continue fighting through the pain alongside his teammates.
"I didn't want people to think I'm sitting out for the wrong reasons, just because I'm scared I'm gonna get injured," he said. "I go 110% for this team."
After learning what Deone Walker had to endure to play football for the Wildcats in 2024, I don't think anyone can question his love for the University of Kentucky. Fortunately, this injury should not provide serious long-term concerns for NFL teams. If anything, it explains why he didn't play up to his high standard during his final college season. "

so that's it,.. he was injured but he's OK now,… and he's going to be the steal of the draft if he's picked as expected in the 4th round

I've watched 2 of his 2023 season games,… the first video is the Kentucky defense snaps against Florida condensed in 10 minutes (and there's also Pearsall making some plays) and the second one is the whole game against South Carolina





he's a huge 6'7'' man who has played his last 2 years at 345 lb,… but his movements are incredibly smooth,… he's quick, strong and with incredible movements as a former college basketball player

though he has quite a quick first step, he usually wins through strength and smooth movements,… he's fun to watch,… and has a huge motor,… he played more than 700 snaps in 2023 with 345 lb on him

he can play at any position in the DL, even stand up edge,... and he's very experienced,… 3 seasons starting experience at SEC,… and he's only 21 (being his bithday a month ago)

IMO his 2023 season form is his floor which means a quite high floor as the best NT pass rushing who also excels at run defense,… and his ceiling is the sky,… he could be a very, very special player,… even close to a generational NT

His stats fell due to a back injury. Given his position that he plays I'm not drafting him knowing he already has some sort of back issue. He'd be off my board. Too many other DTs to take a chance on him. If he slipped to the 7tg round sign me up

As someone who works on spines all day everyday, I am staying away from a 350 lb man expected to participate in the highest of impact activities with a preexisting spondy.

Honestly, I don't GAF about his medical condition,… I have no clue about anything they are talking there,….. pars defect, lumbar spine,… and have no intention to try to,…. but there's a medical team in the 49ers organization who knows these things better than anyone in here, me included no doubt,… and one of their tasks is, precisely, to evaluate the possible draft candidates,…. so if the 49ers finally pick him, I would have no problem at all because it would mean that they don't see any problem

anyway, soon we will know more,… if he drops to the 5th or 6th round it will mean that teams are no confident in his medical condition,… but if the 49ers take him in the 3rd or 4th I will be very happy coz he's a heck of a player and healthy he'll be a force in the NFL