2025 NFL Draft: Contract details revealed for Cardinals 1st-round pick Walter Nolen

After the Arizona Cardinals selected Walter Nolen in the 2025 NFL Draft, his contract details have been revealed. Nolen was the No. 16 overall pick.

Nolen is set to sign a four-year contract with Arizona worth $19.3 million, according to Spotrac. As part of the standard rookie deal, he will also have a fifth-year option.

Nolen is coming off a season in which he logged career highs with 48 tackles, 14.0 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and three passes defended. He did that at Ole Miss, transferring to the Rebels after spending two seasons with the Texas A&M Aggies out of high school.

In his career, Nolen has totaled 114 tackles, 26.0 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and four passes defended. That’s quality production for an interior lineman.

Prior to enrolling at Texas A&M, Walter Nolen was ranked as the top overall player in the country in the 2022 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also checked in as the top defensive lineman in the class and the No. 1 overall player from the state of Tennessee, hailing from Powell (TN) Powell.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Walter Nolen

Nolen is an explosive player off the line of scrimmage, one of the reasons he was ranked as the top recruit in the country three years ago. That should translate well to the next level.

Still, there are some areas Walter Nolen can improve in. NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein writes the following in evaluating Nolen as a prospect:

“Nolen has NFL-starting size but won’t blow you away with his physical traits. However, he gains quick advantages with his explosiveness into contact and ability to beat up blockers when singled up. He has the athletic talent to play into gaps but needs to play with better hands to keep himself clean at the point of attack.

“He wins as a rusher with his athleticism and play strength, and doesn’t need to be schemed for. The pass rush still requires refinement, but he already flashes quick-win moves that foreshadow good pressure and sack production as a pro. Nolen’s blend of explosiveness and playmaking talent create high upside as a three-down interior lineman.”