The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have already been dealt a lethal blow before their 2025 season begins. Rookie outside linebacker David Walker, drafted in the fourth round in this past year’s NFL Draft, suffered a torn ACL in practice on Friday and is expected to have season-ending surgery.
NFL insider Ari Meirov broke the news on social media, reporting,
“#Bucs rookie OLB David Walker suffered a torn ACL during Friday’s practice and will undergo season-ending surgery. The 4th-round pick out of Central Arkansas had been showing a lot of promise early in camp.”
#Bucs rookie OLB David Walker suffered a torn ACL during Friday’s practice and will undergo season-ending surgery. The 4th-round pick out of Central Arkansas had been showing a lot of promise early in camp. pic.twitter.com/mTroyady2a
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 28, 2025
As per SI.com, Walker was in the middle of partaking in team drills when he went down with an injury that the coaching staff had hoped would be minor. Upon evaluation, medical officials gave the team the awful news that would end his rookie campaign before he even got to the regular season.
Walker had created a lot of hype early in camp. Coaches and teammates were impressed with his ability to work hard and his natural ability to transition from the FCS to playing professional football.
David Walker’s Remarkable College Career at Central Arkansas
The linebacker came to Tampa Bay with a great deal of experience from Central Arkansas. Walker had a stellar senior season, rewarded with the Buck Buchanan Award as the best defensive player in all of FCS football.
In 2024, Walker played in 34 games, and accumulated some great statistics in three years of college football. Walker finished his college career with 191 total tackles (in 34 games) including 63 tackles for loss and 31 sacks. He also broke up 8 passes and forced 6 fumbles during his entire collegiate career, and engaged in a variety of tackles that stopped the offensive assault against his teams.
Walker’s 2024 season included 10.5 sacks among 68 total tackles that exhibited the pass-rushing ability that attracted NFL interest. His senior season also included 23 tackles for loss, 8 hurries, and 4 forced fumbles.
Walker had an amazing history of accomplishments during his time in college. That should speak volumes about his dominance at the FCS level. He is not only a Buck Buchanan Award winner, but also a three-time All American and three-time Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
A player from an FCS school generally takes a different path to the NFL. Walker did not take a normal path to the NFL, because he was coming out of a smaller FCS program. However, his senior year was a dominant season, and that plus his performance later at the NFL combine showed the Tampa Bay front office enough that they decided to pull the trigger on Walker in the fourth round.
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