PHOENIX (AZFamily\/AP) \u2014 The Arizona Cardinals decided to go defense with their first-round pick.<\/p>\n
The franchise used the No. 16 overall pick to choose defensive tackle Walter Nolen from Ole Miss. He was a consensus All-American last year. Legendary college coach Nick Saban called it a \u201cfantastic\u201d pick. Some experts have called him an explosive yet inconsistent player.<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s Peter Schrager projected him to go the San Francisco 49ers and said he\u2019d be \u201cshocked\u201d if Nolen fell out of the top 15.<\/p>\n
Nolen was a five-star high school recruit in Tennessee before playing for Texas A&m and Ole Miss. While he\u2019s under 300 pounds, which is a little small for a defensive lineman, he had 14 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks in the 2024 season for the Rebels.<\/p>\n
Nolen said during the Scouting combine he had a \u201cviolent\u201d game and hoped to be a comp with future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. \u201cAaron Donald was a smaller player in the league,\u201d Nolen said then. \u201cI look up to him. I try to do the same things he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nolen knew there were questions about his maturity and motor on the field. He said he appreciated that the Cardinals seemed genuinely interested in hearing his side of the story. \u201cThe Cardinals took a chance on me and I\u2019m blessed for that,\u201d Nolen said. \u201cCan\u2019t wait to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Third-year Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort said they didn\u2019t have any character concerns about Nolen. Some of Arizona\u2019s coaches have worked with the Ole Miss staff in the past, and Gannon said they got positive reports from those connections.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tape spoke for itself,\u201d Ossenfort said. \u201cViolent, disruptive, high motor, tenacious, three-down player. Hard to find those guys that can affect the pocket from the interior of the formation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Said Gannon: \u201cThis guy\u2019s a Cardinal, 1,000 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cardinals have five more picks in the NFL draft.<\/p>\n
It was unclear who the Cardinals were going to choose. They weren\u2019t desperate for any position. Some experts had the team stockpiling talent on the defensive line after having an inconsistent pass rush over the past few seasons. Linebacker was another position that could use a talented addition.<\/p>\n
The Red Birds are looking to build on their 8-9 record last season after finishing with a 4-13 mark in 2022 and 2023. The team is set at quarterback with Kyler Murray entering his seventh NFL season and under contract through 2028. The Cardinals also locked up their young tight end Trey McBride to a long-term deal last month. Last year, they picked Marvin Harrison Jr. in the NFL draft with the No. 4 overall selection. He finished the season with 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. The team\u2019s No. 27 overall selection last year, defensive lineman Darius Robinson, missed most of the season with a calf injury.<\/p>\n
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