Ole Miss Rebels' Walter Nolen Named Top 10 Interior DL in 2024 NFL Draft, if Eligible

Ole Miss Rebels defensive lineman Walter Nolen is not eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft, but if he were, would he be one of the 224 prospects selected this month?

Oct 7, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Walter Nolen (0) / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebels brought some serious juice to their defense when they reeled in elite defensive lineman Walter Nolen via the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason. Nolen was rated as the No. 1 player in the portal when he was on the market and was entertaining multiple playoff contenders before he ultimately settled on the Rebels.

In two seasons with the Texas A&M Aggies, the former No. 1 overall recruit in the 2022 signing class recorded 66 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks, and one forced fumble – cementing himself as one of the premier interior defenders in the Southeastern Conference. As a true sophomore, Nolen still has to play one more season of college football before he can declare for the NFL Draft in 2025, but what if NCAA football had the same one-and-done rule that basketball utilizes?

Pro Football Focus recently created a list of the top 10 interior defensive line prospects in the 2024 Draft if every player was available, and Nolen came in at No. 10.

“As the former No. 1 overall recruit in the 2022 high school class, Nolen began to live up to that hype in his sophomore campaign for Texas A&M,” PFF writes. “His seven sacks this year were tied for third among SEC interior defensive linemen as were his eight tackles for loss/no-gain. He was also fourth among SEC defensive tackles with a 9.9% pass-rush win rate. Nolen is staying within the conference and will play for Ole Miss in 2024, where he’ll look to fully reach his high ceiling.”

Nolen is the crown jewel of a star-studded transfer portal class curated by Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and has brought NFL-level talent to Pete Golding’s defense. The addition of Nolen has brought a lot of offseason hype to Ole Miss, and many experts have thus picked the Rebels to make their first-ever playoff appearance in 2024 when the field expands to 12 teams.

Time will tell if Ole Miss can live up to the hype but until then, the Rebels still have to finish spring practices. Fans will get a chance to see the 2024 Rebs in action on Saturday, April 13 in the inaugural “Grove Bowl Games.”

The event will start at 3 p.m. CT at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.