How Cardinals Added Final Touch with Star Draft DL

The Arizona Cardinals selected Ole Miss DL Walter Nolen with pick No. 16 in the 2025 NFL Draft, adding another piece to their revamped D-line.

GM Monti Ossenfort had already leveraged significant resources into rebuilding the front seven in free agency, inking Josh Sweat and Dalvin Tomlinson to lucrative deals and orchestrating a reunion with veteran Calais Campbell.

But the Cardinals needed two things still - future talent and run defense. Nolen provides both.

Arizona might have beefed up their pass rush, but were in need of some versatility along the defensive line. And considering the age of both Tomlinson and Campbell, Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis needed a player to grow into a starting role alongside Darius Robinson when the veterans begin to fall victim to father time.

Nolen measures in at 6-foot-3, 305 pounds. For a pure interior DL, he's a bit undersized, but makes up for it in athleticism. Despite not being a traditional beefy gap-filler, Nolen was elite in run defense at Ole Miss, with a 91.6 run defense grade over 224 snaps.

But even as a pure pass rusher, Nolen is a dominant force. He racked up 6.5 sacks — an impressive number for an interior DL not named Aaron Donald. His 10.9% pass rush win rate on 362 snaps earned him an 80.8 true pass rush set grade.

So what does this do for the Cardinals? Well, it adds perhaps the final missing piece of an entirely-rebuilt defensive front.

They'll have an exceptional run defender to a unit that ranked last in the NFL in said category a mere two seasons ago. They'll have a rotational defensive lineman to help spell Campbell and Robinson, and they'll have a potential future star starting-caliber DL.

The Cardinals couldn't truly go wrong with the 16th pick, with a wealth of options available to Ossenfort. But it's clear after seeing the pick that the defensive line remained the priority.

There's plenty of room for other positions to be addressed as the Draft continues on Friday and Saturday - Ossenfort is known to find gems in later rounds.

But Nolen is a true high-ceiling pick. He might be a bit of a risk when it's all said and done, but as a situational player (and one who isn't being asked to come in and save the entire unit), he could grow and develop into a true star.

He might not come across as an immediate Cardinal-type player, but he was up front and honest about his character concerns immediately. Even if there is potential for an issue, Nolen is joining a coaching regime that is likely to get the best out of him.

Regardless of Nolen's personal ceiling, Arizona's defensive line is finally in a position to put fear in the hearts of opposing QBs and RBs. Nolen just may be the final touch on a legitimately elite group of defensive linemen in the 2025 season.

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