Welcome to the NFL, David Walker. The Stuttgart native and Central Arkansas All-American edge rusher was taken in the fourth round, pick No. 121 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Years of hard work, dedication, and prayer finally paid off for an Arkansan who wasn’t even ranked coming out of the 2019 high school recruiting class. After starring for the Stuttgart Ricebirds, Walker played one season of division two college football at Southern Arkansas.
Advertisement
UCA Bears star David Walker selected in NFL Draft by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As a Mulerider, Walker was a second-team All-Great American Conference player. He led the team with 19.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and 52 total tackles while starting all 11 games in his lone season.
Walker then transferred to Central Arkansas. In three seasons at UCA, the 6-foot-2, 260-pounder became UCA’s career sack (31) and tackles for loss (60) leader. He won the Buck Buchanan Award in January, which goes to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Series (FCS). Walker was a finalist for the past three years, finishing third overall in 2022 as a sophomore.
Stuttgart native David Walker has NFL dreams come true
Advertisement
FOX 16’s Josh Berrian interviewed the former UCA football star moments after being drafted at Walker’s private draft party in Stuttgart. Walker spoke about the feeling of hearing his name called, thoughts on moving to Tampa, reminiscing about his long journey to the NFL, and sharing his life-changing experience with his closest friends and family.
The Final Score airs on FOX 16 every Sunday night at 10 p.m. CST. See you there!
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLRT – FOX16.com.