2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Walter Nolen

Strengths:

• Frame: Nolen is a tall, lanky, and physical defender with room to add mass. He doesn't carry much bad weight on his frame, and teams can shape him to fit their needs with good training programs.
• Violence: He plays with violent hands that control the rep early and jolt blockers at contact.
• Athleticism: Nolen is a fluid but still sudden athlete with excellent burst. He covers ground laterally in a hurry, side-stepping blocks to get into the backfield.
• Power: He uses his powerful upper body and core to take control of blocks and throw them away at will. Nolen shows the power, tenacity, and balance to 2-gap from wide alignments.
• Body Mechanics: Nolen possesses a flexible, bendy frame capable of contorting and bending while still moving with force. He has rare contact balance and body control for the position.

Weaknesses:

• Base and Leverage: He plays with a high pad level, and his base narrows at contact, limiting his power at the point of attack.
• Short Arms: His shorter arms impact his disengagement ability once he is connected and upright. They also could limit his ability to two-gap consistently.
• Hand Usage: While his hands are active and violent, they lack purpose as a pass rusher. Nolen is mostly projection at this point, winning with athleticism and natural gifts more often than technique.
• Play Recognition: Nolen struggles to recognize concepts from opposing offenses, taking himself out of plays with misreads or anticipating the wrong thing.
• Gas Tank: His reliance on dominating physically instead of winning with technique gasses him out by the fourth quarter, impacting his motor late in games.

Final Thoughts and Bears Fit for Walter Nolen:

Walter Nolen is a tall, athletic, and physically gifted defender with impressive burst, power, and body control. His violent hands and natural strength allow him to control and shed blockers effectively, while his flexibility and balance make him a tough matchup.

However, he struggles with his pad level, has shorter arms that limit his ability to disengage, and his pass-rushing technique relies more on raw talent than refined skills. Despite these concerns, Nolen has sky-high potential with the right coaching and a targeted strength and conditioning program.

When watching Nolen's best moments, it is hard not to see shades of Titan's star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. The strength, flexibility, and violence are very similar. He's got that dog in him. However, Nolen has a long way to get there, and I wouldn't be surprised if it took him two seasons to become a quality starter. Going to a good situation for development will matter for Nolen to reach his ceiling. It could take longer if he goes through multiple body transformations in his first few years in the league. Going to a team with a stable long-term vision for him as a player is key.

Nolen would be a welcome addition for the Bears. Anytime you can add a scheme versatile player with All-Pro upside, it's a good decision. However, I question whether it makes sense for the Bears right now. The Bears seem to want a player who will contribute significant snaps and impact in 2024, which Nolen doesn't seem ready to do. 

Nolen is the type of long-term investment that could yield ten times the initial investment, but you need to have the liquidity to take on that risk (and it is a risk). I'm not sure the Bears currently possess the figurative liquidity to invest in a developmental defensive tackle. While I would welcome the addition, I don't expect it to happen with pick 10.

Pro Comp - Ceiling: Jeffery Simmons

Pro Comp - Most Likely: Bryan Bresee