With the 2025 NFL Draft less than two weeks away, much of the talk, as always, has surrounded the quarterback position. In a recent episode of “The Ross Tucker Football Podcast,” though, it was some of the Draft’s defensive stars that were on the agenda.
During the episode, highly respected NFL analyst Greg Cosell compared Ole Miss product Walter Nolen to one of the best players in the NFL.
Ole Miss Prospect Walter Nolen Receives Jalen Carter Comparison Ahead of NFL Draft
Recently, Cosell has been appearing on “The Ross Tucker Football Podcast” to talk about his favorite prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. While listing his favorite defensive linemen in the class, Cosell had high praise for Nolen.
“The guy that fascinates me the most is the Ole Miss kid, Nolen.” Cosell cited Nolen’s otherworldly strength as a reason to be excited about the player. “He’s incredibly strong. I mean, he has plays in the SEC that look like Jalen Carter’s tape at Georgia, where he just rag-dolls offensive linemen. I mean, we’re talking about in the SEC.”
Cosell continued, “And there is a sort of, twitched-up explosiveness to him as well. Sometimes it doesn’t look like that ’cause of the power nature of his game. But I really like Walter Nolen, and I’m very curious to see where he gets drafted.”
“The guy that fascinates me the most is Walter Nolen. He has plays in the SEC that look like Jalen Carter's tape at Georgia.”@GregCosell with a STRONG take about Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen: pic.twitter.com/DMY5KwQRwt
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) April 11, 2025
The comparison to Carter will certainly turn heads. Since being drafted in 2023, Carter has quickly become one of the most feared defensive linemen in all of football. Carter was an integral part of the Philadelphia Eagles team that won the Super Bowl last season.
What Are Nolen’s NFL Prospects?
Nolen put up very impressive numbers in 2024; most notable were his 35 quarterback pressures, more than he managed in two seasons at Texas A&M. His PFSN Draft Profile paints the picture of a physical outlier who has consistently improved and will likely continue to do so.
“Nolen is an athletic 3-technique defensive tackle, which is a valuable asset in today’s NFL. Combine that with his leap in production in 2024 and his top-notch pedigree, and it’s not hard to see why many are high on him entering the NFL.
Although only 21 years old, Nolen has shown improvement as a technician over the years, which has helped him make better use of his freakish combination of speed and power. He still has some more development to do, but he has shown that he’s coachable, and that’s an important trait for future success.”
Nolen is widely considered a first-round prospect ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, with varying predictions on how high he’ll be taken. In the latest three-round Mock Draft from PFSN’s Joe DeLeone, Nolen is paired with top defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on the Kansas City Chiefs.