Another leaderboard, another ranking for Kentucky’s defensive lineman, Deone WalkerThis time, the folks at Power Football Focus (PFF), the same group that produces detailed, analytical ratings after every NFL and college football game, turned their analytics-based data into a simple list of the NCAA’s top 50 players. Walker was the only Kentucky player to make the list, coming in at No. 11.

Here’s what they had to say about the beastly Wildcat:

“Walker is an alien sent to Earth to terrorize SEC backfields. He stands 6’6” and weighs 350 pounds. In a recent PFF interview, he revealed that he wants to run the 40-yard dash in “a high 4.6 seconds” at the NFL Scouting Combine. For comparison, the record for an interior defensive lineman is 4.67 seconds, held by Calijah Kancey, who is nearly 70 pounds lighter than Walker.

Most defensive tackles of Walker’s size are limited to run-stuffers. Although he earned a PFF run defense grade of 81.7 last year, Walker is also an incredibly productive pass rusher. His 51 pressures in 2023 were the most of any interior defensive lineman in college football, while his eight sacks led the Power Five.”

Walker has been amassing a ton of accolades this preseason, most recently being named to the Lombardi Award Preseason Watch List, named a Preseason All-American by ESPN and The Athletic, and ranked the 21st best player in college football by ESPN.

Every 2025 NFL mock draft has Walker listed as a first-round pick, so it could be a big year for Kentucky’s most popular interior defensive monster. With just a few weeks left until the start of the season, Walker begins his mission to live up to the hype.