2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Ole Miss DL Walter Nolen

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

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.