Bills rookie Kani Walker's push to make the final roster is fueled by going undrafted
· Yahoo Sports
PITTSFORD — A familiar name popped up on Kani Walker’s caller ID.
It was three days before the NFL Draft and Walker wasn’t getting the attention from teams he anticipated. But one coach kept calling him. And it was the one on his caller ID.
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Buffalo Bills cornerbacks coach Jay Valai.
Walker spent three seasons at the University of Oklahoma — where Valai was the defensive coordinator — before transferring to Arkansas for his final college season.
Valai tried to pump Walker for information, like which teams had shown interest. The only problem was Walker didn’t have anything juicy to tell him. Only three teams showed real interest and only Valai (on behalf of the Bills) had called him numerous times.
One way or another, Walker had a feeling he would end up with the Bills. And he did, as an undrafted free agent. He called it bittersweet because it didn’t take away the feeling of not being one of the 257 players picked in the draft.
“I’m never going to lose who I felt on draft day because it was an emotional moment for me,” Walker told GNN Sports after practice Thursday. “Of course everybody dreams of getting drafted and going to the NFL and chasing their dream. But I felt like there was a lot of teams that didn’t believe in me. It put a real fuel under me.”
Walker has made an immediate impact with the Bills and has an opportunity he may not have gotten elsewhere. Under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, the BIlls are retooling their cornerback room, not just with players, but the type of players.
Buffalo went into the draft with only Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston on the roster. They didn’t sign any veterans for depth or insurance. Instead they traded up to draft Ohio State’s Davison Igbinosun in the second round and took Toriano Pride Jr. in the seventh round.
So Walker entered a situation where the fourth boundary cornerback job was up for grabs. Walker seized it in the spring and it has rolled into training camp, with the rookie consistently playing with the second-team defense. Part of it is that Walker is familiar with Valai’s drills and terminology, which gives him an edge over anyone competing for the fourth cornerback job.
All the while, the words Valai told Walker after agreeing to a UDFA deal echo through his brain:
“Got to put your foot down,” Valai told GNN Sports before practice Thursday. “Nobody’s getting that from you. Ain’t no enabling in this world, brother. You’ve got to pick somebody’s pocket and take their job. This is grown-man ball.”
Walker’s relationship with Valai could have disintegrated after he left Oklahoma. Professional and college sports can be a petty business. And both sides had some reasons to be upset.
There was a certain vision Walker had for his final college season and it didn’t include him being on the bench. That was especially true considering Walker made nine starts in 2024 after just three combined in his first three seasons, which included redshirting a year at Louisville.
Walker could have been upset that Valai was looking at some other players at cornerback. And Valai could have been upset when Walker left. There was never bad blood between them and they continued to speak after Walker transferred.
“He kept fighting and growing,” Valai said. “So I give Kani a lot of respect on that. But we came back together with the same thought process, understanding the exact way with each technique and exact ways to understand certain recognitions. … He’s playing good football, solid football right now. But he just has to continue to train the right way.”
Walker also has the benefit of knowing Leonhard won’t overlook undrafted players because he carved a 10-year NFL career without being drafted. And even though Walker hasn’t had a meaningful one-on-one conversation with him, Leonhard knows he’s there.
Leonhard said Walker does something noticeable in practice every day. He also happens to fit the body profile of a man-to-man cornerback. At 6-foot-2 and 204, Walker is built similarly to Igbinosun.
Under former coach Sean McDermott, the Bills often sacrificed speed (Benford) or size (Hairston) for instincts because that was needed for his zone-heavy scheme. It’s a zone-dominant league, but drafting Igbinosun was a signal Leonhard plans to play more man-to-man coverage.
But there is still another month remaining before cutdown day and a lot can change. Walker is sure to get extensive preseason playing time. But Leonhard also plans to test his cornerbacks over the next few days in calling more man coverage during practice.
Walker isn’t lacking in confidence. Before stepping onto the field, he skips and pounds his first into his chest.
It’s his way of reminding himself that he’s the best. It’s not about anyone else’s talent. It’s about telling himself he just needs to keep finding ways to be better than himself.
“I’ve got to make sure everything that’s in my control, I handle,” Walker said. “When it comes to learning the game, from a mastering-my craft standpoint, I feel like it’ll be fine. Me being undrafted really don’t mean anything to me no more because I know I’m better than that. I just got to prove myself, prove to myself, every single day. And to prove to my guys every single day because that’s who I’m going to war with.”