The two-time team captain posted 55 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in 2023 but had 37 tackles, 1.5 sacks and five tackles for loss while playing with a spine fracture in 2024.
Despite the injury, Walker lined up all over the defensive line with Kentucky, something the Bills may ask him to do after losing Von Miller, Dawuane Smoot and Casey Toohill to free agency.
New England Patriots | S Craig Woodson
The Patriots took the 6-foot, 200-pound safety three spots ahead of Walker after spending time with him at this year’s East-West game. Woodson spent six years with the California Golden Bears and had 225 tackles, five interceptions and 14 passes defended over the past three seasons.
During an appearance on “Path to the Draft,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah named Woodson as one of his “Mid-Round Gems,” citing his aggressiveness, intelligence and leadership abilities. Like Walker, Woodson was a two-time team captain and played multiple positions, including free safety, strong safety and slot cornerback.
A quick thinker and hard-hitter, Woodson will likely start the season on special teams while the team figures out how to take advantage of his talents.
New York Jets | WR Arian Smith
With apologies to the rest of New York’s draft class, Smith may be the most tantalizing prospect on the Jets roster. A former track star at Georgia, Smith claims to have run a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash and posted a 4.36 at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Smith had 48 catches for 817 yards and four touchdowns for Georgia last year, but also dropped 10 passes, 12th-most in the FBS, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
He also needed three surgeries to repair a torn meniscus, broken fibula, fractured wrist, and a high-ankle sprain in college, which should explain why he had only 68 catches in five seasons with the Bulldogs.
Still, Smith’s 19.9 yards per catch average is impressive and could be enough to take snaps away from current Jets Allen Lazard and Josh Reynolds in 2025.
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