Scouting Overview

Ole Miss Rebels defensive tackle Walter Nolen is a twitchy, fluid athlete who projects as an impact starter at the NFL level by the end of his rookie contract.

Nolen has tremendous physical gifts and will be best served attacking creases in the front, where his balance can allow him to press through lateral contact. His pass rush pallet will need expanding. He has illustrated a number of rush counters, but his refinement of his hands will be key to him living up to the best version of himself as a talent. 

2025 NFL Combine Results

TBD

Positives

• A dynamic athlete with high levels of first-step explosiveness and fluidity 
• Very good range as a rally defender along the line of scrimmage and can redirect laterally in upfield penetration
• Surprising change of direction quickness allows him to pop on twists and stunts

Negatives

• Consistency of hand counters as a pass rusher needs further development
• Ability to stack and deconstruct blocks in the run game is incomplete
• Production profile is a testament to his need to work on finishing skills — he’s active but missing production

Background

Walter Nolen is from Memphis, TN, and played his high school football for several programs across the country. Nolen played for Olive Branch HS in Mississippi, Saint Benedict in Tennessee, and Powell HS in Powell, TN, for his senior season.

There, he was a consensus 5-star recruit who rolled up major accolades and statistics — including 17 sacks and 33 tackles for loss at Powell. Nolen was named an Under Armour All-American for his play in 2022 before enrolling at Texas A&M and playing two seasons with the Aggies. 

Nolen started four games while playing in 10 for the Aggies as a true freshman in 2022. He started another 10 games while playing in 12 in 2023. Nolen entered the transfer portal after his sophomore season and enrolled at Ole Miss to play with Lane Kiffin and a superbly gifted Rebels defensive front in 2024. 

Tale Of The Tape

Nolen is a “bet high” prospect who is still in the process of learning how to put all of his tools and gifts together. He has the ability to wreak havoc on the interior and offers alignment versatility thanks to his movement skills. Still, without added development with his hands, his best fit at the pro level is to play a penetration role and avoid asking him to diagnose or read blocks passively at the point of attack. 

Nolen has good punch power and the ability to create a push at the point of attack when taking on a blocker head-to-head, but his successes are more rooted in creating bubbles at the point of attack and less in an ability to press, utilize length, and deconstruct the block. As a result, he is at times prone to getting stuck on blocks, which negates the discomfort he is capable of creating with his twitch and ability to convert speed to power. 

Opportunities to get him moving in space create much more success — be it as a gap shooter or via twists and stunts up front. Nolen redirects off of an initial stem quite well and is graceful in changing directions. A number of his tackles and plays at the point of attack have come with a late peel and redirect off of loops and retraces if he’s run past the initial landmark. Nolen has shown the ability to take angles tight in space, which is a good contrast to some of his irregular play when turning the corner as a pass rusher while engaged with a blocker. 

Nolen’s pass-rush prowess with counters is limited. His consistent go-to beyond penetration efforts is a high swim move that he can effectively slip blocks with, thanks to his persistent push to play forward through tight spaces. 

Some of Nolen’s issues as a player can simply be alleviated with more discipline with his pads. When he doesn’t get hip to hip with blockers quickly in reps, he will be tested on his ability to hold the point in the run game.

Encouraging him to keep his pads down and shoot to the mesh point without popping his head (and pads) up to peek for the football will help him maintain leverage more consistently and keep him in a power posture to apply all of his explosiveness into the ground.

Ideal Scheme Fit, Role

Walter Nolen projects best as a penetration 3-tech at the NFL level. His first-step quickness, core strength, and center of gravity make him an attractive option to fire upfield and create chaos in the backfield.

There’s plenty of reason to buy in on Nolen developing in different style defenses, but his best role as a current product lies in getting through gaps and forcing reroutes of the quarterback and running backs off their track. 

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