2025 NFL Draft

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Ole Miss DL Walter Nolen

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Walter Nolen Scouting Report mock draft

From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Ole Miss DL Walter Nolen.

#2 Walter Nolen/DL Ole Miss – 6’3, 305 pounds. (Junior)

MEASUREMENTS

Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Walter Nolen 6-3/305 N/A N/A N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A N/A N/A

THE GOOD

– High-effort player who has suddenness and twitch off the snap
– Constantly in the backfield as a run defender
– Uses length and mass well to power over and around blockers despite limitations
– Very physical and has fast hands at the point of attack to torque and manipulate linemen
– Hands like stone that pack a powerful initial punch
– Significant power displacement through his upper and lower halves of his body
– Uses a wide base to position himself well to anchor
– Lateral quickness is extremely fast for a man his size to cover a lot of ground
– Plays the leverage game very well when asked to one-gap
– Makes some incredible plays off of loops, stunts, and twists
– Doesn’t miss many tackles (two this year)
– Incredible ankle flexion and hip mobility when pass-rushing around the corner
– Gets into the backfield quickly on designed run plays and tackles with aggression
– Great bull rush, swim, and club moves to overwhelm or elude blockers
– Can play anywhere from the 1-5i positions on the defensive line

THE BAD

– Can play with high pad level at times, especially when his power doesn’t win initially
– Starts standing up too much out of his stance at the snap
– Washed out in the run game at times on double teams due to lack of length and mass
– Needs to work on hand counters and expanding his pass rush repertoire
– Improvement with a pass rush plan and not overly relying on his bread-and-butter moves
– Loses himself in bull rush attempts that take him away from targets at times
– Hands can be late at times from the snap, and he lets them get too wide to make up for it
– Inconsistent effort and leverage on a down-to-down basis
– Not built to play in the A gap often

BIO

– Born 10/14/2003 (21 years old)
– 1,241 total snaps (82 A gap, 783 B gap, 206 over tackle, 162 outside tackle)
– 73 special teams snaps (49 FG block, 24 punt return)
– 28 starts and played in 35 games over 3-year career (2 years at Texas A&M, 1 at Ole Miss)
– Career: 114 total tackles, 26 TFLs, 11.5 sacks, 4 PDs, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries, 5 missed tackles
– 2024-25 season: 48 total tackles, 14 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, 3 PDs, 2 fumble recoveries
– 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl Invitee
– 2024 Consensus All-American
– 2024 AP First-Team All-American
– 2024 Coaches First-Team All-SEC
– 2024 USA Today All-SEC
– 2024 Outland Trophy Finalist
– 2024 Walter Camp Award Semifinalist
– 2024 Bednarik Award Semifinalist
– 2023 transferred from Texas A&M to Ole Miss
– 2022-23 Appeared in 22 total games and started 14 across two seasons with Texas A&M
– 2022 5-star recruit by 247 Sports
– 2022 Under Armour All-American
– As a HS senior, he compiled 93 tackles, 33.0 tackles for loss, 27 quarterback hurries, 17.0 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 3 pass breakups, and 2 fumble recoveries
– Led Powell HS to a 13-2 record and a Class 5A state championship 

TAPE BREAKDOWN

Walter Nolen is an elite athlete for the defensive tackle position. He was often used to one-gap at Ole Miss, but due to his athletic abilities, they trusted Nolen to slant and stunt often. He shoots gaps quickly and can penetrate the backfield with ease. He has a very strong and powerful frame that is evenly proportioned between his upper and lower body well. Nolen packs a great initial punch, has heavy hands, and consistently drives blockers off their spot. He gives Emery Jones Jr. (No. 50 for LSU) quite the jolt to push him back into the pocket.

Nolen is No. 0 for Texas A&M in this clip:

He handles double teams well if he can get his hands on you first, which he often does because he is very explosive off the snap. If he doesn’t, though, he can tend to get pushed on drive blocks or struggle to shed when his power stalls out. An example of that comes against a fellow 2025 draft OG, Tyler Booker from Alabama, in their matchup this year.

When he can move on twists, loops, or just shoot gaps initially, Nolen can use his speed to power and overwhelm opponents into losing the leverage battle. Not only does he have athletic traits for days, but his hands are very fast, and he is constantly looking for work.

His lateral quickness and bend are impressive for a guy his size. Georgia’s center in this clip (No. 55) will probably remember him very well after he basically ran him over.

Especially as a run defender, he often uses his foot speed as a major advantage to shoot into the backfield or climb down the line more quickly than his counterparts to get to ball carriers with aggressiveness and urgency. He can change direction in a hurry if he needs to, and he has great hip flexibility to turn the corner in pass-rushing situations.

Watch his cat-like quickness here off the snap to swim around the offensive tackle when he was at Texas A&M. He is #0 in this clip:

He tends to push linemen back vertically with his upper body strength and leg drive. He shows tremendous strength in being able to uproot and move guys. However, he needs to improve at deconstructing blocks and not getting stuck on high pad levels. He doesn’t often show a long-arm move and struggles with inside counters if he quickly loses the hand battle. His go-to moves are the high swim and overhand swipe; he does them with elite effectiveness. However, if he wants to win consistently in the NFL, he will definitely need to work on his counters and pass rush moves, as evidenced here when he went up against Will Campbell (#66) of LSU this year:

He’s more developed as a run defender at this point than a pass rusher, but his ceiling is very high with his athletic traits, flexibility, and power. Nolen is best when he can play at the 3i position on the defensive line, but he can wear multiple hats with his ability to absorb double teams, loop, and crash on stunts to free up others.

Nolen can seamlessly fit into an odd or even defensive front, regardless of where a team wants him to play. A team would be limiting his athletic abilities if he played a majority of his snaps at the 0-1i positions on a defensive line, but with his significant power, he can play there in a pinch.

CONCLUSION

Pittsburgh will be looking to upgrade their defensive line this offseason, especially with the bad taste in their mouth of being run on for 299 yards in their playoff game against Baltimore. They could upgrade that line in a hurry with someone like Nolen, who’s a great run defender and an ascending pass rusher with superior athletic traits. Only so many defensive linemen have the speed-to-power capability and can play the run as well as Nolen does.

He reminds me a lot of Fletcher Cox in college when he came out of Mississippi State and has had a great career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a very disruptive, consistent presence on that Eagles’ DL for a decade-plus, primarily used in multiple positions because of his power and athleticism. Nolen can come into a team right away and be an above-average run defender with the potential to be a disruptive pass rusher with development over time. He has Pro Bowl and possibly All-Pro potential, depending on if he can hit his ceiling.

Projection: Mid-Late Day One
Depot Draft Grade: 8.8 – First Round (Quality Starter)
Games Watched: vs Alabama (2023), at Ole Miss (2023), at LSU (2024), vs Georgia (2024)

Previous 2025 NFL Draft Player Profiles
CB Jahdae Barron DL Derrick Harmon QB Quinn Ewers RB Omarion Hampton
RB RJ Harvey EDGE Kyle Kennard WR Luther Burden III RB Ollie Gordon II

 

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