Approaching the 2025 NFL Draft, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on anywhere from Rounds 1 through 7. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital and their fit with the Steelers.
Of the potential Steelers’ first-round targets at defensive line this year, Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen might have the most raw talent. Would he be the right selection at No. 21?
Position: Defensive line
Class: Junior
Size: 6’4, 296 pounds
Age: 21
Projected draft round: 1
Stats via Sports Reference
Walter Nolen isn’t the perfect prospect, but I feel like he’s a case of overthinking a player as the draft process goes on. He’s still expected to be a first-rounder, but it’s by the skin of his teeth at this point — if you look at NFL Mock Draft Database, Nolen’s “consensus” landing spot is Philadelphia at No. 32.
While Nolen is still incomplete as a defender, it seems like the biggest worries don’t have much to do with his on-field play. However, I’d caution against overreacting to the rumors.
Nolen was hit with the nebulous “character concerns” label at some point in this draft process, and while there is a lot of smoke surrounding that, looking into the concerns doesn’t reveal anything concrete. The gist seems to be that Nolen has played for three high schools (and was enrolled at a fourth at one point but never played) as well as two colleges over his football career, which raises some questions as to why he didn’t stay in one spot.
Without any real evidence against Nolen, I won't be listing those concerns as a “weakness” on his profile, but it’s certainly a question teams should be asking him during the draft process; it could be a story if Nolen’s stock continues to drop. He also didn’t work out at the NFL Combine, which further amplified the uncertainty.
The other common Nolen complaint that feels overblown to me are the effort concerns I’ve seen online, with some reports questioning his commitment to football. It’s true that Nolen wasn’t an every-down player at Ole Miss (it was also a stacked rotation, but I digress) but when he was on the field, his motor was one of the strongest aspects of his game. He also showed off some great agility making plays that weren’t directly in front of him (No. 2 in all clips).
He’s not a player who wins much with technique — we’ll get to that in a bit — but his motor allowed him to be a highly impactful defender against both the run and the pass. And then, of course, there are his impressive physical traits. Nolen has excellent power and burst off the line, allowing him to bully offensive linemen in his rare one-on-one opportunities.
Sometimes, he’d just blow right through the offensive line. His first step is excellent and he showed plus mobility on the many stunts Ole Miss ran in 2024.
Nolen’s biggest flaw as a rusher is that his hand usage is constantly too far outside, allowing O-linemen to latch on and force him to win with raw power. It also limits his ability to disengage, giving Nolen some struggles as a two-gapper — and his 32-and-a-half-inch arms aren’t ideal. Working on more consistent leverage and hand-usage will be the main areas Nolen will have to get coached up on in the NFL.
As for downsides, Nolen's pad level can be a bit inconsistent, and his hand usage is often wide, allowing O-linemen to control his chest. pic.twitter.com/x7Suv0MuqQ
— Ryland Bickley (@_Ryland_B) April 7, 2025
But he was also held a lot, and despite playing on what was arguably college football’s most talented defensive front, he faced a heavy dose of double-teams. Still, he was able to use his bull rush to constantly disrupt, even if it wasn’t always pretty:
Balance is another common issue I saw. Nolen’s game can be wildly uncontrolled at times, and he ended up on the ground a bit in the games I watched.
Nolen’s game is still very raw in some areas, but he managed to carve out a large role on a talented Ole Miss D-line, recording 6.5 sacks and being named a consensus first-team All-American during his 2024 season. He’s a first-round talent and easily in the upper echelon of this year’s stacked defensive line class.
Walter Nolen strengths
NFL-ready build and athleticism; great power, quickness
Strong versus double-teams and dominant in one-on-ones
Good effort; impressive awareness and pursuit to make plays late
21 years old and coming off a productive final season
Weaknesses
Hand-usage needs refinement
Leverage is inconsistent
Occasional lapses in balance
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com
Nolen has NFL-starting size but won’t blow you away with his physical traits. However, he gains quick advantages with his explosiveness into contact and ability to beat up blockers when singled up. He has the athletic talent to play into gaps but needs to play with better hands to keep himself clean at the point of attack. He wins as a rusher with his athleticism and play strength, and doesn’t need to be schemed for. The pass rush still requires refinement, but he already flashes quick-win moves that foreshadow good pressure and sack production as a pro. Nolen’s blend of explosiveness and playmaking talent create high upside as a three-down interior lineman.
Matt Holder of Bleacher Report
Overall, Nolen has all the tools to be a starter within his first two years in the NFL and has Pro Bowl/All-Pro potential down the line. Schematically, he’s fairly versatile as someone who could line up as a 3-technique in even fronts or play as a 4i-technique in odd fronts. … POSITION RANK: DL2 … PRO COMPARISON: Ed Oliver.
Kyle Crabbs of The 33rd Team
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. … 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.
Nolen has the raw talent to contribute right away and the upside to become a star in the NFL. For the Steelers, he’d be able to learn under Cam Heyward and eventually become an every-down B-gap defender himself.
While the current rumors floating around about Nolen this draft cycle are more toothless than they appear, there are still some valid questions teams will need to answer ahead of the draft. The Steelers seem to be doing their homework, with the team present at Ole Miss’ pro day; they also have top-30 visits with three players from the program. If those concerns are alleviated, he’d be a great pick in the first round as a building block for the defensive front.
TL;DR: Nolen is an ultra-talented defensive tackle prospect who wins with effort, power, and quickness. His technique is still a work in progress and there are some concerns after no NFL Combine workout and his transfer-heavy high school career — however, his upside is off the charts.
What are your thoughts on Ole Miss DL Walter Nolen? And which draft prospects would you like to see profiled next? Let us know in the comments below!
