Report: Broncos Meet with First-Round Defender Before Draft

Nolan's eye-catching 2024 stats — 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks — have led many to assume he'll hear his name called in the top 15 selections. The consensus All-American measured 6-foot-4, 300 pounds with 33 ½” arm length at the Scouting Combine. Physical attributes aside, and while he didn't test, Nolen’s tape reveals arguably the most explosive interior pass rusher in the entire class.

Nolen’s frame is a prototype for a one-gap penetration style front. Though he played a majority of his snaps for the Rebels last season at three-technique, Nolen could certainly man the 3-4 defensive end 4i or five-technique role for the Broncos, with the ability to kick inside on passing downs.

Nolen’s highs are as good as it gets for the position. His ability to convert speed to power off the snap and obliterate blockers shows why he was one of the highest-rated recruits in the nation a few years ago, among the now-infamous super recruiting class at Texas A&M.

Despite the stellar profile, it took until this season — after transferring to Ole Miss — for Nolen to start to show his elite NFL starting potential. He'll need to continue to work on developing rush counters and identifying keys in the run game, but for a team like Denver that can let him pin his ears back and attack gaps his first season, he'd be an intriguing option as a rotational player in 2025 with an obvious starter pathway in 2026 and beyond.

The Broncos are likely bringing him in to get a better idea about Walter Nolen, the person. With his talent slightly offset by some character concerns, the visit is (partially) to understand the makeup of the athlete.

If Nolen answers questions about his down-to-down consistency and why some technical aspects of his game lag in comparison to the physical gifts he possesses, to the extent that satisfies the Broncos’ brass, it wouldn’t be shocking to hear his name called when the Broncos are on the clock at pick No. 20.