There was palpable excitement about Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker before he even arrived at One Bills Drive.

“We bring Deone here? Oooh. I’m going to for sure get that ball back then because he’s going to get in the quarterback’s face,” said Bills' first first-round draft pick Max Hairston.

Hairston knows well the potential of Walker, his former college teammate at Kentucky. Their co-defensive coordinator in Lexington sings similar praise for Buffalo’s fourth-round pick.

“Big Deone, man, that may be the steal of the draft. I don’t know, but it could be,” Chris Collins said. “The kid is a unicorn.”

A mythical creature indeed. Walker is 6’7", 331 pounds (he played at 345 pounds in college) and can move like a man a fraction of that size.

“The young man in terms of his size and athleticism,” Collins said. “His ability. Football intelligence. He sees the game, sees the game very well.”

Walker’s more than just a run stuffer who controls the line of scrimmage. He can get after the quarterback and create havoc too, as evidenced by 10 sacks and 22 tackles for loss over three seasons.

“Now, it’s continuing to develop that ability to hone those skills and understand timing, and when to take some of those calculated risks because he has big play ability up front and he gives you some versatility really in all three downs,” Collins said.

After a fantastic 2023 season, Walker struggled with consistency last fall as he dealt with a back injury — which can humble anyone, let alone a giant football player who’s crashing into other giants all game long. That left questions for scouts and analysts, some of whom questioned his bend and leverage, but the Bills have said they’re confident in his recovery and will work to make sure Walker’s back is stronger in the future.

“He’s another one who kind of fought through some things, had some adversity and I think it was good for him to go through that. I think it will make him a better player on the back half of his career, which for Bills fans, is the most important half,” Collins said.

Walker could develop into a long-term answer at one-technique defensive tackle, with the ability to line up across the defensive front in a variety of spots.