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49ers Take Ole Miss Defensive Tackle Walter Nolen in New Mock Draft

Last year, the 49ers drafted zero defensive linemen. Now, the defensive line is one of the thinnest positions on the team.

Grant Cohn

Sep 28, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive linemen Walter Nolen (2) waits for the snap during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive linemen Walter Nolen (2) waits for the snap during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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Last year, the 49ers drafted zero defensive linemen. Now, the defensive line is one of the thinnest positions on the team.

This year, the 49ers currently own the No. 11 pick in the NFL Draft. And The 33rd's Team's Ian Valentino expects the 49ers to use the 11th pick on Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen.

"Pass-rushing defensive tackles who can get upfield and cause havoc continue to be one of the most difficult talents to unearth," writes Valentino. "Walter Nolen was fantastic this season, showing improved pad level and balance while navigating through contact. San Francisco's demise is largely based on a decline in the trenches, so Nolen can be a reinvigorating addition."

Nolen had 6.5 sacks this past season at 11.5 sacks total in three years of college football. That's not a lot of production. And given that the 49ers once spent a top-15 pick on Javon Kinlaw, who had 10.5 sacks in three seasons at South Carolina, I'm thinking the 49ers might avoid a player with a similar resume.

The 49ers certainly need a defensive tackle, but I doubt they will draft Nolen in Round 1. Nolen is a junior, and last year the 49ers drafted seniors only.

I expect the 49ers to draft an offensive tackle in Round 1 and a defensive lineman in Round 2. Because they need an interior run defender more than they need an interior pass rusher, and interior run defenders can be found later in the draft.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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