Walter Nolen NFL Draft Overview
Position: DT
Height: 6′4″
Weight: 296 pounds
School: Ole Miss
2025 NFL Draft: Walter Nolen Scouting Report
Walter Nolen enters the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the top defensive tackles available. He had a productive college career and spent two years at Texas A&M and one year at Mississippi where he was an All-American for the Rebels playing in 13 games with 48 TOTAL tackles and six and a half sacks. Nolen earned numerous accolades last season including, the 2024 Consensus All-American, 2024 All-America First Team (AP, FWAA, Sporting News, USA Today, ESPN, The Athletic, Phil Steele), 2024 All-SEC First Team (Coaches, Phil Steele), 2024 USA Today All-SEC, 2024 Outland Trophy Finalist, 2024 Walter Camp Award Semifinalist, and 2024 Bednarik Award Semifinalist.
Nolen is strong at the point of attack and has explosive quickness off the line of scrimmage. His versatility as a run-stuffer and pocket pusher on passing downs could raise his stock as a three-down player. Even though this is a deep draft at DT, Nolen is the cream of the crop, and don’t be surprised if he’s the second interior defensive lineman off the board on draft night after Michigan’s Mason Graham.
Strengths
- Good size for the position;
- Has a knack for making the big play;
- Powerful at the point of attack;
- Space eater and can take on double teams;
- Plays with good balance and awareness in space;
- A three-down player from pressuring the pocket;
- Powerful hands work well with an impressive first step;
- High football intelligence.
Weaknesses
- Needs to work on improving functional mobility;
- He must diversify his pass rush sets;
- Disengages from blocks too quickly at times;
- 32 1/2″ arms aren’t ideal for the position;
- Struggles with pad level when fatigued, which allows him to be easily displaced;
- Plays with a narrow base.
NFL Comparison: Zack Sieler
Teams With Need At Position: Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets
Projection: First Round
Bottom Line on Walter Nolen
The bottom line on Nolen is he possesses many of the traits NFL teams covet in a defensive tackle. He is a fundamentally sound player that can win in a multitude of ways. Nolen has shown the ability to take over games and always seems to be in the right place. His agility and lateral quickness could make him a matchup nightmare for many offensive linemen at the next level. Lastly, his football intelligence is impressive and quickly diagnoses plays that other defenders around him benefit from.
Regardless of where Nolen is drafted, he should excel in almost any system as one of the top-tier, DL prospects in this draft class. He can be an immediate starter on day one and could quickly ascend to a Pro Bowl caliber performer.
*Stats and research provided courtesy of the Pro Football Network (PFN) and NFL.com
Main Photo: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
