2025 1st round pick 16 is Walter Nolen DT
- Thread starter BullheadCardFan
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So happy for you that we got your guyOh Monti, oh Monti, you know I've always loved you, don't you? Don't let these other posters poison you against me. I've always had your back because I knew you'd pick this guy. The perfect guy to take this defense to the next level. Thank you for finally drafting a Big John!
Like I said, Monti, I've always loved ya
Now we get to see pressure up the middle and disrupt QBs
Chris_Sanders
Arizona Sports Simp
Terrible pick.
This is like taking a blocking TE in round 3
This is like taking a blocking TE in round 3
Totally_Red
Air Raid Warning!
He ain't no Robert Nkemdiche!
From The Athletic's "The Beast" Draft Guide:
DT4 Walter Nolen Ole Miss, 3JR
HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL BIRTHDAY AGE HT WT NUM
Powell, TN Powell Oct 14, 2003 21.53 6037 300 #2
BACKGROUND: Walter Nolen, the oldest of three boys, grew up in the Memphis, Tenn., area with his parents (Walter Jr. and Yolunda). He started
playing football at age 5 and developed an immediate connection with the sport. Nolen continued playing in Pop Warner and middle school and
started to gain attention on all-star teams. His younger brothers (Warren and Waylan) also have futures in college football. Warren Nolen was a
three-star recruit in the 2025 class and signed with Arkansas State as an interior offensive lineman.
Walter Nolen started out at Olive Branch High in northern Mississippi. As a freshman, he was part of a varsity team that won 12 games (he also
competed on the powerlifting team). Nolen had his breakout season in 2019 as a sophomore defensive lineman (92 tackles, 26 tackles for loss,
two sacks and two forced fumbles). He earned first-team all-metro honors and skyrocketed up the recruiting rankings. With the spotlight on him,
Nolen transferred midway through his sophomore year (Feb. 2020) to IMG Academy, the football powerhouse and boarding school in Bradenton,
Fla. However, he returned home to the Memphis area after just four months (June 2020), because of his mother's desire to have him close to home
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before his junior year, Nolen enrolled at St. Benedict at Auburndale, a Catholic school in Memphis, where he was coached by Marlon Walls, who had
played defensive line at Olive Branch and Tennessee (2009-13). But St. Benedict managed only two wins in 2020 and fired Walls (former Memphis
tight end Joey Magnifico replaced him). For his senior season, Nolen transferred to Powell High, which is 10 miles north of Neyland Stadium and the
Tennessee campus. Despite joining the team late, he helped Powell to a 13-2 record and the 2021 5A state championship. Nolen finished his final
season with 93 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 17 sacks and six forced fumbles, which earned him several state and national awards, including
Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today. He also played basketball at St. Benedict.
A five-star recruit, Nolen was the top-ranked defensive lineman in the 2022 recruiting class (one spot ahead of Mykel Williams) and the No. 1
recruit in Tennessee. He finished as the No. 2 recruit nationally, behind only Travis Hunter. During the spring of his freshman year, Nolen impressed
at several camps and earned his first offer from Tennessee, followed by offers from Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri and Ole Miss (April
2019). The offers continued to pour throughout his breakout sophomore season, and it was clear that Nolen would have his choice of colleges. The
summer before his senior season, Nolen announced a final five of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee, but a month later, Texas
A&M shot to the top of his list. He ultimately committed to head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies in November 2021 and headlined the famed
"best recruiting class ever," which included eight five-star signees (five on the defensive line).
After two seasons in College Station, following Fisher's dismissal and defensive line coach Elijah Robinson's move to Syracuse, Nolen entered the
transfer portal. He was the third-ranked player in the portal and committed to Ole Miss in December 2023. Nolen skipped his senior season and
entered the NFL Draft. He accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl.
YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2022: (10/4) 29 2.5 1.0 1 0 0 Texas A&M; enrolled May 2022
2023: (12/10) 37 8.5 4.0 0 1 0 Texas A&M
2024: (13/13) 48 14.0 6.5 0 3 0 Ole Miss; consensus All-American; First Team All-SEC; led team in TFL; enrolled January 2024
Total: (35/27) 114 25.0 11.5 1 4 0
HT WT HAND ARM WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP NOTES
COMBINE 6036 296 9 1/2 32 1/2 78 5/8 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP No workout (choice)
PRO DAY 6037 300 9 1/2 33 3/8 80 1/8 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 4.76 DNP 27
STRENGTHS:
● Explosive first step with equally explosive hands
● Has initial movements to cross face, shoot gaps and live in gaps
● Weaponizes length to stab and flashes a twitchy slap/arm-over move
● Relies on get-off quickness as his source of power to create push at contact
● Rangy athlete for his size, with the secondary quickness to finish behind the line of scrimmage
● Quick to find his balance to react to the ball carrier and get him on the ground
● Strong tackler in close quarters (rarely missed tackles)
● Able to plant his post leg and hold his own against doubles
● Plays hard, and his effort doesn't see major dips snap to snap
● Production improved each season — finished top three among FBS interior defensive linemen in tackles for loss in 2024
WEAKNESSES:
● Can do a better job staying square when moving laterally down the line
● Reacts first and reads second, leaving him out of position at times
● Rush plan is based more on activity than cohesion
● Improving his lock-out will help keep his eyes elevated to find the football
● Personal foul on the 2024 Arkansas tape for extracurricular efforts
● Disappears on some tapes; averaged only 2.7 pressures per game in 2024
● Attended six different programs over the last seven years, so interview process will be crucial to his final grade
SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Ole Miss, Nolen played three-technique tackle in defensive coordinator Pete Golding's 4-2-5 base scheme,
occasionally lining up over or outside the tackle. A consensus top-five recruit out of high school, he played two mediocre seasons at Texas A&M
before transferring to Oxford, where he had his best season in 2024, joining Patrick Willis as the only consensus All-Americans from the front
seven in school history.
With his length and surge off the ball, Nolen creates immediate force and can be a play-wrecker with how quickly he penetrates gaps (the type of
leverage that creates holding calls). He doesn't rely on just quickness to win, but there are inefficiencies in his attack, especially when he is late to
read the play. Overall, Nolen has areas of his game that require maturing, but he flashes big-time disruption in his initial burst and fast, physical
hands to regularly affect the backfield action. He will be attractive for NFL teams looking for an active gap-shooter with high-end upside.
GRADE: 1st-2nd round (No. 31 overall)
DT4 Walter Nolen Ole Miss, 3JR
HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL BIRTHDAY AGE HT WT NUM
Powell, TN Powell Oct 14, 2003 21.53 6037 300 #2
BACKGROUND: Walter Nolen, the oldest of three boys, grew up in the Memphis, Tenn., area with his parents (Walter Jr. and Yolunda). He started
playing football at age 5 and developed an immediate connection with the sport. Nolen continued playing in Pop Warner and middle school and
started to gain attention on all-star teams. His younger brothers (Warren and Waylan) also have futures in college football. Warren Nolen was a
three-star recruit in the 2025 class and signed with Arkansas State as an interior offensive lineman.
Walter Nolen started out at Olive Branch High in northern Mississippi. As a freshman, he was part of a varsity team that won 12 games (he also
competed on the powerlifting team). Nolen had his breakout season in 2019 as a sophomore defensive lineman (92 tackles, 26 tackles for loss,
two sacks and two forced fumbles). He earned first-team all-metro honors and skyrocketed up the recruiting rankings. With the spotlight on him,
Nolen transferred midway through his sophomore year (Feb. 2020) to IMG Academy, the football powerhouse and boarding school in Bradenton,
Fla. However, he returned home to the Memphis area after just four months (June 2020), because of his mother's desire to have him close to home
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before his junior year, Nolen enrolled at St. Benedict at Auburndale, a Catholic school in Memphis, where he was coached by Marlon Walls, who had
played defensive line at Olive Branch and Tennessee (2009-13). But St. Benedict managed only two wins in 2020 and fired Walls (former Memphis
tight end Joey Magnifico replaced him). For his senior season, Nolen transferred to Powell High, which is 10 miles north of Neyland Stadium and the
Tennessee campus. Despite joining the team late, he helped Powell to a 13-2 record and the 2021 5A state championship. Nolen finished his final
season with 93 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 17 sacks and six forced fumbles, which earned him several state and national awards, including
Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today. He also played basketball at St. Benedict.
A five-star recruit, Nolen was the top-ranked defensive lineman in the 2022 recruiting class (one spot ahead of Mykel Williams) and the No. 1
recruit in Tennessee. He finished as the No. 2 recruit nationally, behind only Travis Hunter. During the spring of his freshman year, Nolen impressed
at several camps and earned his first offer from Tennessee, followed by offers from Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri and Ole Miss (April
2019). The offers continued to pour throughout his breakout sophomore season, and it was clear that Nolen would have his choice of colleges. The
summer before his senior season, Nolen announced a final five of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee, but a month later, Texas
A&M shot to the top of his list. He ultimately committed to head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies in November 2021 and headlined the famed
"best recruiting class ever," which included eight five-star signees (five on the defensive line).
After two seasons in College Station, following Fisher's dismissal and defensive line coach Elijah Robinson's move to Syracuse, Nolen entered the
transfer portal. He was the third-ranked player in the portal and committed to Ole Miss in December 2023. Nolen skipped his senior season and
entered the NFL Draft. He accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl.
YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2022: (10/4) 29 2.5 1.0 1 0 0 Texas A&M; enrolled May 2022
2023: (12/10) 37 8.5 4.0 0 1 0 Texas A&M
2024: (13/13) 48 14.0 6.5 0 3 0 Ole Miss; consensus All-American; First Team All-SEC; led team in TFL; enrolled January 2024
Total: (35/27) 114 25.0 11.5 1 4 0
HT WT HAND ARM WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP NOTES
COMBINE 6036 296 9 1/2 32 1/2 78 5/8 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP No workout (choice)
PRO DAY 6037 300 9 1/2 33 3/8 80 1/8 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 4.76 DNP 27
STRENGTHS:
● Explosive first step with equally explosive hands
● Has initial movements to cross face, shoot gaps and live in gaps
● Weaponizes length to stab and flashes a twitchy slap/arm-over move
● Relies on get-off quickness as his source of power to create push at contact
● Rangy athlete for his size, with the secondary quickness to finish behind the line of scrimmage
● Quick to find his balance to react to the ball carrier and get him on the ground
● Strong tackler in close quarters (rarely missed tackles)
● Able to plant his post leg and hold his own against doubles
● Plays hard, and his effort doesn't see major dips snap to snap
● Production improved each season — finished top three among FBS interior defensive linemen in tackles for loss in 2024
WEAKNESSES:
● Can do a better job staying square when moving laterally down the line
● Reacts first and reads second, leaving him out of position at times
● Rush plan is based more on activity than cohesion
● Improving his lock-out will help keep his eyes elevated to find the football
● Personal foul on the 2024 Arkansas tape for extracurricular efforts
● Disappears on some tapes; averaged only 2.7 pressures per game in 2024
● Attended six different programs over the last seven years, so interview process will be crucial to his final grade
SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Ole Miss, Nolen played three-technique tackle in defensive coordinator Pete Golding's 4-2-5 base scheme,
occasionally lining up over or outside the tackle. A consensus top-five recruit out of high school, he played two mediocre seasons at Texas A&M
before transferring to Oxford, where he had his best season in 2024, joining Patrick Willis as the only consensus All-Americans from the front
seven in school history.
With his length and surge off the ball, Nolen creates immediate force and can be a play-wrecker with how quickly he penetrates gaps (the type of
leverage that creates holding calls). He doesn't rely on just quickness to win, but there are inefficiencies in his attack, especially when he is late to
read the play. Overall, Nolen has areas of his game that require maturing, but he flashes big-time disruption in his initial burst and fast, physical
hands to regularly affect the backfield action. He will be attractive for NFL teams looking for an active gap-shooter with high-end upside.
GRADE: 1st-2nd round (No. 31 overall)
Dayman
ASFN Addict
Great pick at a premium position of need.
BirdGangThing
Cultist
man we are so serious about some defense this year - all kyler is gonna have to do is not funk it up - hurts style lol that's gotta be the plan because got damn we are serious about some defense
GatorAZ
feed hopkins
The laziness rumors scare me but he’s in the perfect spot to succeed.
DieHardFromMO
Hall of Famer
Relieved we didn't trade down. Excited about this pick.Great job Cardinals.
Jttsaz
#40 Never Forget
LOVE IT! Lets Gooooooo!!!!
Chris_Sanders
Arizona Sports Simp
Half the dudes on this board could out draft Ossenfort
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I can’t ever remember the Cardinals just going so all in on an area of weakness in an offseason in my life.
This front 7 should be MUCH improved and if Robinson shows out and this kid’s got some goods in his rookie year, with the three additions in FA, Gannon should have the ammo needed to make this D a legit beast.
This front 7 should be MUCH improved and if Robinson shows out and this kid’s got some goods in his rookie year, with the three additions in FA, Gannon should have the ammo needed to make this D a legit beast.
Reminds a lot like Dockett. Hopefully he performs like him.
Chris_Sanders
Arizona Sports Simp
Such a mega reach. This is why I have learned to not get excited about this draft.
Ive
Nah once Williams and Booker went off the board this was the guy I wanted so I’m not mad.
Just a touch of deja vu
I’ve got PTSD. Too many similarities.He ain't no Robert Nkemdiche!
Nah once Williams and Booker went off the board this was the guy I wanted so I’m not mad.
Just a touch of deja vu
Chris_Sanders
Arizona Sports Simp
I would like to point out I told you all how bad the last draft was repeatedly and you all laughed and thumbed down but I was 100% correct
Chris_Sanders
Arizona Sports Simp
He ain't no Robert Nkemdiche!
He literally has questionable work ethic. It's nearly the same dude.
Dr. Jones
Has No Time For Love
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The Athletic's Draft Review:
For as talented as he was (and his production improved a ton at Ole Miss), Nolen often left you wanting more. Selecting him ahead of Derrick Harmon is certainly interesting, but Arizona clearly believes it can smooth out Nolen’s rough spots and help him grow into a star. Still, this feels like a bit of a reach given the other talent on the board, including at defensive tackle.
Grade: B-minus
16. Arizona Cardinals: Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
The former top-ranked recruit in the country, Nolen is a twitched-up powerhouse with very strong hands and every trait a mauler needs. However, very little about his game, at either Texas A&M or Ole Miss, was consistent. He played hard but was too often lost with his assignment against the run, and he also didn’t have much of a plan in passing situations, other than to bull rush forward.For as talented as he was (and his production improved a ton at Ole Miss), Nolen often left you wanting more. Selecting him ahead of Derrick Harmon is certainly interesting, but Arizona clearly believes it can smooth out Nolen’s rough spots and help him grow into a star. Still, this feels like a bit of a reach given the other talent on the board, including at defensive tackle.
Grade: B-minus
Chris_Sanders
Arizona Sports Simp
He ain't no Robert Nkemdiche!
He literally has questionable work ethic. It's nearly the same dude.
Mega reach
RON_IN_OC
https://www.ronevansrealty.com
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Dr. Jones
Has No Time For Love
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Matt Miller - ESPN:
Post-Draft Analysis
Even after bringing back Calais Campbell, the interior of the defensive line ranked as a primary need in Arizona since the team is still trying to build around coach Jonathan Gannon's scheme. Nolen was ranked as one of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the class -- even ahead of Mason Graham, who went at No. 5 overall. With Nolen's first-step quickness and special physical tools, his ceiling is as high as any defender in the draft. -- Miller
GatorAZ
feed hopkins
Nolen’s tape is better but yeah it’s risky. Looking at the draft the next two picks were guard and an edge with 4 sacks in 3 years.
2024 DL
Darius Robinson
Dante Stills
Bilal Nichols
Justin Jones
L.J. Collier
Ben Stille
Angelo Blackson
Roy Lopez
Naquan Jones
Khyiris Tonga
2025 DL
Dalvin Tomlinson
Darius Robinson
Calais Campbell
Walter Nolen
L.J. Collier
Dante Stills
Justin Jones
Bilal Nichols
Ben Stille
Darius Robinson
Dante Stills
Bilal Nichols
Justin Jones
L.J. Collier
Ben Stille
Angelo Blackson
Roy Lopez
Naquan Jones
Khyiris Tonga
2025 DL
Dalvin Tomlinson
Darius Robinson
Calais Campbell
Walter Nolen
L.J. Collier
Dante Stills
Justin Jones
Bilal Nichols
Ben Stille
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