"He can throw dudes out of the club" - NFL analyst raves about Walter Nolen amid Ole Miss DT's draft stock surge

Walter Nolen has been in the spotlight over the past few weeks. The Ole Miss defensive tackle opted to skip the workouts at the Scouting Combine, but his draft stock has continued to surge in the right direction.

More recently, analyst Trevor Sikkema waxed lyrical on Nolen when he made an appearance on the PFF NFL Show on Monday to discuss Daniel Jeremiah's mock draft.

"I mean he's as strong as an ox with his upper body man," Sikemma said about Nolen. "I mean, 6-foot-3, 305 pounds. I mean, he can just throw dudes out of the club.

"You talked about stack and shed ability, you talk about being able to hold the line in run defense and you're not gonna be worried about getting overpowered at the NFL level. I am definitely not worried about that whatsoever."

Sikkema continued:

"If I am taking, you know, Darius Alexander, a Derrick Harmon and a Walter Nolen, and I need somebody to go up against a guard and a center, and hold the line of scrimmage and run defensive rep, I'm picking this guy [Nolen], right.

"That's the dude that I am picking. So, if you wanna feel good about having a high floor as a run defender, Nolen is your guy."

Sikemma also explained that Nolen is getting better at pass rushing, too. The analyst went on to conclude by saying that the DT has quick and strong hands, but is yet to figure out his best plan to try and stop a quarterback.

Walter Nolen projected to go to Cincinnati Bengals as per Daniel Jeremiah's mock draft

NFL: Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen - Source: Imagn

According to Daniel Jeremiah's latest 2025 mock draft, the Cincinnati Bengals will take Nolen with the No. 17 pick in the first round. The defensive tackle is considered one the top defensive prospects in this year's draft and is reportedly being monitored by a handful of suitors.

Nolen began his collegiate career at Texas A&M in 2022. He played two seasons with the Aggies before transferring to Ole Miss in 2024, where he played for one season.

Across three seasons at the college level, Nolen recorded 114 tackles, 11.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss across 35 games. It will be interesting to see where he lands in the NFL.