Who replaces an NFL first-rounder? Ole Miss’ Nolen accepts Senior Bowl invite
Walter Nolen is off to the NFL after just one season as an Ole Miss Rebel.
Nolen on Tuesday accepted an invitation to participate in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl. He joins in Mobile, Alabama, Rebel teammates Jaxson Dart, Princely Umanmielen, Trey Amos, Jared Ivey and Caden Davis.
The Senior Bowl is Saturday, February 1, and available to watch on NFL Network at 1:30 p.m. CT.
Nolen transferred to Ole Miss from Texas A&M last off-season. He had a season of eligibility remaining, but Nolen is widely projected as a first-round pick in April’s NFL Draft.
CBS draft analyst Ryan Wilson has Nolen coming off the board at No. 31 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Each of ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr., and Jordan Reid have him in the first, too. Reid sent Nolen to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 29. Kiper, Jr., has Nolen ranked as his No. 3 defensive tackle in the draft class.
Reid also notably forecasted Amos to the Green Bay Packers at No. 24. Umanmielen has first-round potential as well. The former Florida Gator, like Nolen, was one-and-done at Ole Miss. He led the Rebels in sacks.
Nolen and Umanmielen were honored as All-Americans. They were a few of the eight Rebels named All-SEC.
“He reminds me of Quinnen Williams that we had at Alabama, which was a Top 10 draft pick and elite player,” Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding said of Nolen. “When you have a guy like that, (opposing teams) have to plan for him.”
Nolen tied for the Ole Miss lead in TFLs (14.0) this season.
He was third in sacks (6.5) and fifth in total tackles (48). Nolen added four QB hurries, three pass break-ups and two fumble recoveries.
He anchored arguably the stoutest defense in the Ole Miss modern era. The Rebels set school records for single-season sacks (52) and tackles for loss (120).
Ole Miss won 10 games for the third time in four years, capped by a 52-20 win over Duke in the Gator Bowl.
“You just got come see it. People on the outside might talk down to Ole Miss,” Nolen said before the Gator Bowl. “Once you get here and see everybody in the building and see the way the team work, Ole Miss is one of the program’s that’s on the rise and will be for a minute.”
The likely replacement for Nolen in 2025 is rising sophomore William Echoles.
Echoles was a midseason freshman All-American by On3.
The Rebels added some EDGE reinforcements through the NCAA Transfer Portal. Ole Miss has the No. 2 class in the nation, headlined by Da’Shawn Womack (LSU) and Princewill Umanmielen (Nebraska), the younger brother of Princely.
Nolen was an Outland Trophy finalist, an honor that goes out each year to college football’s best defensive lineman. awarded every year to the best interior defensive lineman in college football. He earned SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week in December following a career day in the Rebels’ 28-10 win over Georgia, one of 12 College Football Playoff teams.
Nolen tied his career-high in both single-game total tackles (8.0) and tackles for loss (3.5). He had 1.5 sacks. Ole Miss held the Bulldogs to 39 rushing yards — the fifth time this season the Rebels limited their opponent to 50 or fewer.
Nolen has 16 total tackles, 6.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks over his last two games.
“He’s very gifted,” Ole Miss defensive line coach Randall Joyner said of Nolen. “Not just obviously on the field, but he’s a great human being. He raised the competition within the room. Everybody played at a high level.”
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