New favorite for Panthers' 1st-round pick suddenly emerges on eve of 2025 NFL draft

A dark horse for the Carolina Panthers' 1st-round pick of the 2025 NFL draft may have just made a run down the stretch.

On Wednesday, or "NFL draft eve" for those who celebrate, two league insiders made the potentially intriguing connection between the Panthers and University of Mississippi defensive lineman Walter Nolen.

The speculation began with Todd McShay, who projected the 2024 consensus All-American to Carolina and the eighth overall pick in his latest mock draft. He writes:

I’m told by a reliable source that Carolina is looking to trade back and might take less than fair value to do so. If Jeanty is still on the board, this could be the spot where Denver moves up to get him. But if the Panthers can’t move out and with Walker gone, I think it will come down to Nolen, Shemar Stewart, Mykel Williams, or Tetairoa McMillan here.

A few hours later, ESPN's Matt Miller—in his final set of first-round projections—did the same:

Nolen has been a red-hot riser in the days leading up to the draft as the Panthers, 49ers and Cowboys were all connected to him by scouts. Smoke screen? Maybe, but chatter connecting Carolina to Nolen was rampant Wednesday.

The overwhelming frontrunner for the Panthers and their top selection has been University of Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker. They've also been connected to Walker's teammate and fellow edge defender Mykel Williams, University of Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham and University of Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

While Nolen's name had been tossed around to the Panthers in a few early mock drafts, the 6-foot-4, 296-pounder hadn't been linked to Carolina much, if at all in the recent buildup prior to Wednesday.

As Miller noted, the chatter could just be a smoke screen. But if it's not, Nolen—who possesses quite a bit of upside as both a pass rusher and a run stopper—might be a pretty darn good pick for a team whose defensive line was their major weakness in 2024.