Former Ole Miss standout said unexpected encounter with Rams’ legend help further motivate him
Walter Nolen’s introductory news conference after picked by Cardinals
Introductory news conference for Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen after selected by the Arizona Cardinals No. 16 overall in the NFL Draft.
Making comparisons regarding a prospect just selected in the NFL draft isn’t only dangerous, but it can also be condemning.
But consider the case of defensive tackle Walter Nolen III, the first-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals out of Mississippi at No. 16 overall. No one “compared” him to the legendary Aaron Donald, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year with the rival Los Angeles Rams.
During the pre-draft process, Nolen compared himself to Donald, the man widely regarded as the best defensive tackle of his generation and a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“I’m the next Aaron Donald, man,” Nolen told The Draft Network’s Justin Melo during the NFL combine. “I feel like I can do it all. Aaron Donald did it all at the highest level. I’m a younger, upcoming version of Aaron Donald. I just can’t wait to show everybody that when I get this opportunity I’m being blessed with.”
Hah! And Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon told us the 6-foot-3-inch, 296-pound Nolen is “a little shy at times” and has “quiet confidence.”
“That’s loud confidence, but … he’s different from the guys we’ve taken in the first round since we’ve been here,” Gannon explained. “He’s quiet. You’ve got to get to know him.”
The real Aaron Donald, upon learning of Nolen’s bold player comparison, didn’t wait long to introduce himself. He was a surprise guest during a live video appearance on the NFL Network as Nolan was being interviewed at the combine and offered a message of encouragement to the young 21-year-old.
“Do your thing,” Donald told Nolen. “Like I’ve always said, hard work pays off. Put the body of work in and it’s going to pay off huge for you, man. As long as you put everything into this game, you’ll get everything out of it you want. So, enjoy it, enjoy the ride. It’s a short time you get to play this game.”
Donald, who retired last year following 10 seasons with the Rams, left Nolen with another little gem:
“Hopefully you have a long career, a better career than I had.”
Nolen looked speechless upon hearing from his idol, and he was asked about the encounter on April 25, during his introductory news conference at the Cardinals’ Tempe training facility.
“Man, all I can say is that I did not know that was going to happen and I couldn’t say what I wanted to say because I ain’t going to get in trouble on TV,” Nolen said. “But yeah, it was a great deal to me and it actually kind of motivated me.”
Something else that motivated the first-team consensus All-American was some outside chatter questioning his love for football and whether his motor doesn’t always run hot and violent. Don’t forget, those were some of the same knocks against defensive tackle Calais Campbell coming out of Miami back in 2008.
It’s one of the reasons Campbell slid out of the first round before being snatched up by the Cardinals with the 50th pick overall. Campbell, of course, blossomed into one of the game’s more respected defensive linemen, and he’s back with Arizona for an 18th season in the NFL.
If Walter Nolen manages to live up to his own hype and elevate his game anywhere near a superstar like Aaron Donald — and stay as far away as possible from any comparisons to Cardinals draft bust Robert Nkemdiche — maybe he will get to enjoy the ride almost as long as Campbell.
All I know is that Gannon and Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort absolutely love the guy and are convinced he is the real deal. Ask Gannon, and he swears, “This guy is a Cardinal 1,000 percent.” Ask him why, and he says, “Turn on the tape.”
Judging from what he did last season following his transfer from Texas A&M to Ole Miss, where he finished with 6½ sacks, 14 tackles for loss, with 32 of his 48 tackles coming within 2 yards of the line of scrimmage, Nolen projects as the perfect type of disruptive interior D-line force.
And make no mistake, in today’s NFL, that’s where the good teams are looking for help. The Philadelphia Eagles relied heavily on it during last season’s run to the Super Bowl with their convincing win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Their four-man pass rush led to 16 quarterback pressures on Patrick Mahomes, including six sacks, the most in his career.
The Cardinals brought in former Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat, who had 2½ sacks in that game, as a free agent this offseason. They’ve also added two veteran defensive linemen, Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson, who join a mix that includes veterans such as Justin Jones, L.J. Collier, Bilal Nichols and promising third-year pro Dante Stills.
Drafting Nolen was the finishing touch to turn what had been the Cardinals’ greatest weakness into their biggest strength.
“Turn on the tape and makes more plays than anybody,” Gannon said. “He gets his hat on the ball and the guy plays with extreme motor, and that tells me he loves football. When you see a guy playing 50 to 60 snaps in a college game, not huddling, on the ball, and he’s running down screens and getting out of the stack and trying to dump people and put his face in the pile, that jumps out on the tape for a 300-plus pound that’s playing a ton of snaps.
“That’s all I really needed to see.”
Aaron Donald or not, Nolen has a chance to make an immediate impact for the Cardinals as a menacing bully up front who can adversely affect the opponent’s passing attack. He knows which way the NFL is trending, and he can’t wait to be a part of it in Arizona.
“I know it’s a little biased,” he said, “but I’d say the D-line is the most important position on the field — beside offensive line. But everything starts with us. They may be trying to make some of the rules a little bit softer, but we’re still gonna play ball.”
Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublicFollow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B on ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM).
