With the Super Bowl in the books, all 32 teams can officially turn their attention to the 2025 edition of the NFL Draft. With the combine and draft quickly approaching, mock drafts are beginning to become tighter with different potential picks for the first round.
Following the Super Bowl, Bleacher Report released its latest mock draft. With the No. 11 overall selection in the first round, the Bleacher Report Scouting Department penned Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen to the 49ers.
Via Bleacher Report:
Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen can provide the exact type of skill set that Shanahan and Co. prefer along their defensive interior, as a penetrating defender capable of playing up and down the line of scrimmage.
“San Francisco likes athletic defensive tackles, who can put pressure on the quarterback, and the club is about to lose one in Hargrave,” Holder said. “Nolen fits that description well. He’s a disruptive enough player on the interior to be a suitable replacement for Hargrave. The Ole Miss product and Nick Bosa can wreak havoc in the backfield together.
Read Bleacher Report’s full mock draft here.
After two seasons at Texas A&M, Nolen transferred to Ole Miss prior to the 2024 campaign. In his lone season with the Rebels, Nolen earned All-American honors with 48 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss.
Nolen would provide an instant boost to a veteran-led interior defensive line that struggled last season. If Nolen is able to produce like he did in the SEC, he could provide some much-needed pressure alongside Nick Bosa on the defensive front. With question marks around Javon Hargrave and Malik Collins’ future in San Francisco, defensive tackle should continue to be a popular pick for the 49ers in mock drafts.
The next NFL draft domino to fall is the NFL combine. The combine is set to begin on Thursday, Feb. 27 in Indianapolis.
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