After two decent years at Texas A&M in his freshman and sophomore campaigns, Walter Nolen was shot out of a cannon in his junior year after transferring to Ole Miss. He eclipsed the 5.0 total sacks he recorded with the Aggies in just one year with the Rebels, recording 6.5 in 2024. That’s pretty darn impressive for a 6’3″, 305-pound defensive tackle.
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Nolen was also a demon against the run, recording a whopping 14 tackles for loss in 13 games. His versatility and production earned him Consensus All-American as well as First-Team All-SEC honors.
He’s a massive guy with great lateral quickness and movement. He’s very strong, which helps him to pop offensive linemen or get them off-balance. However, he does appear to have shorter arms, which is why sometimes he struggles to get off blocks.
In the pass rush, he’s got a great bull rush, a decent swim move, and has been excellent with games and stunts. However, he needs to develop a counter-move to truly blossom as a pass rusher.
Walter Nolen can play in 4-3 defenses as a 3-technique, but he can also play in a 3-4 defense in a 4i-technique on the inside shoulder of the tackle. This versatility significantly expands the pool of potential destinations. Currently, Nolen is projected as a late 1st-rounder to early 2nd-rounder in the 2025 NFL Draft. Here are a few teams that could show interest in the Rebels interior lineman:
3) Tennessee Titans
Why not head back home? Walter Nolen is a Memphis, Tennessee native, and the Titans could use a quality, versatile player to pair with All-Pro Jeffery Simmons on the interior of the defensive line. Tennessee has a lot of talent on defense, but behind Simmons and 2024 2nd-round pick T’Vondre Sweat, there’s not much on the interior line.
Sweat is more of a nose tackle, so it’s not like the Titans would be selecting a replacement for a guy they drafted just last year. The defensive front is so crucial; you can arguably never have too much talent there anyway. Just ask the Philadelphia Eagles.
Nolen would help with their 7th-worst run defense and an interior pass rush that produced just 4.5 sacks apart from Simmons last year. Tennessee could use the first pick of the 2nd round to nab Nolen.
2) Pittsburgh Steelers
The way the Steelers lost their Wild Card matchup against the Baltimore Ravens was just absurd. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry ran all over them for 300 yards, and Pittsburgh couldn’t do anything to stop it. They looked helpless and hopeless.
And really, they are helpless on the defensive line behind 1st-Team All-Pro Cam Heyward. They need some big bodies that can hold blocks on run plays and crash the pocket on pass plays. Walter Nolen is exactly that type of player. The Steelers could spend their 21st overall pick on him, unless they feel they can get him for better value by trading back a few spots.
1) Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers have two beasts on the outside in Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack—though their returns in 2025 are not certain—but they lack push in the middle of the defensive line. Poona Ford was their primary interior lineman, and he certainly did not produce the desired results from his defensive tackle position, even if he did have a decent year by his standards.
Walter Nolen can come in and contribute right away. He would create an instant upgrade over Ford for Jim Harbaugh’s defense. He would also draw attention away from those outside pass rushers if they do indeed decide to stay in L.A. Like the Steelers, L.A. could select him 22nd overall or trade back a few spots if they believe they can get him later.
