Latest news with #Nolen
USA Today
7 days ago
- General
- USA Today
Rookie DL Walter Nolen III has impressed Arizona Cardinals DC Nick Rallis so far
Rookie DL Walter Nolen III has impressed Arizona Cardinals DC Nick Rallis so far Nolen, the Cardinals' top draft pick, has shown exactly what he needs to so far this offseason. As the Arizona Cardinals progress through their offseason program, the coaches get to see how their rookie class handles preparing for their first NFL season. The Cardinals' first-round pick, defensive tackle Walter Nolen III, has shown defensive coordinator Nick Rallis what he should so far. Rallis, speaking to the media on Tuesday after the team's first practice of their final week of voluntary OTAs, noted he has been impressed with Nolen thus far. "I knew he was gonna be the talent that we saw on tape, but I would say he's very coachable, great to work with," Rallis said. "You see him take those coaching points immediately to the field, whether that's an individual or when going against the offense. And I can tell he studies hard outside the building because he's got things down pretty fast. So pretty impressive so far." Because full contact in practice is not allowed until training camp when pads go on, coaches never get a true gauge of how players in the trenches will do until then. All they can look at right now is preparation, the ability to process information and technique on the field. It would appear that Nolen is more than what he should be so far. That's all we can expect for now. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Johnson, Walter Nolen now teammates after failing to team up in college
Defensive lineman Walter Nolen and cornerback Will Johnson, the Arizona Cardinals' top two selections in the 2025 NFL draft, are teammates for the first time. Nolen played collegiately for Texas A&M and then Ole Miss. Johnson played for Michigan. However, had things gone differently a few years ago, this would not have been the first time they were teammates. Advertisement Johnson, when he was introduced to the media on Thursday at the Cardinals' team headquarters in Tempe, revealed that he tried to get Nolen to choose Michigan. "When we were getting recruited out of high school, we were both trying to play together, and that didn't end up working out," he explained. "One of my teammates that I was at with Michigan, he was from Memphis, and Walter obviously was a big name coming out of high school, and we were trying to get him at Michigan. "I was kind of the the frontrunner for our class, so I was just trying to do whatever I could to get him to come to Michigan, so I would do things like when we were in high school. I went down to Martin Luther King High School and he was thinking about coming to Detroit to go to high school, so I went down there with him just to get him acclimated to that that type of scene. He visited Michigan a bunch of times and we hung out." Ultimately, Nolen did not go to Michigan. Advertisement This time, there was no recruiting. The Cardinals selected both players and now they are NFL teammates. Now it is their job to be a good as pros as they were in college. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts. This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Will Johnson tried recruiting Walter Nolen to Michigan
USA Today
10-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Will Johnson, Walter Nolen now teammates after failing to team up in college
Will Johnson, Walter Nolen now teammates after failing to team up in college Johnson tried to get Nolen to be his teammate at Michigan Defensive lineman Walter Nolen and cornerback Will Johnson, the Arizona Cardinals' top two selections in the 2025 NFL draft, are teammates for the first time. Nolen played collegiately for Texas A&M and then Ole Miss. Johnson played for Michigan. However, had things gone differently a few years ago, this would not have been the first time they were teammates. Johnson, when he was introduced to the media on Thursday at the Cardinals' team headquarters in Tempe, revealed that he tried to get Nolen to choose Michigan. "When we were getting recruited out of high school, we were both trying to play together, and that didn't end up working out," he explained. "One of my teammates that I was at with Michigan, he was from Memphis, and Walter obviously was a big name coming out of high school, and we were trying to get him at Michigan. "I was kind of the the frontrunner for our class, so I was just trying to do whatever I could to get him to come to Michigan, so I would do things like when we were in high school. I went down to Martin Luther King High School and he was thinking about coming to Detroit to go to high school, so I went down there with him just to get him acclimated to that that type of scene. He visited Michigan a bunch of times and we hung out." Ultimately, Nolen did not go to Michigan. This time, there was no recruiting. The Cardinals selected both players and now they are NFL teammates. Now it is their job to be a good as pros as they were in college. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Day 3 pick is most likely rookie starter from Arizona Cardinals' 2025 NFL draft class
Day 3 pick is most likely rookie starter from Arizona Cardinals' 2025 NFL draft class The Cardinals' first two draft picks are part of deep and talented position groups. One Day 3 pick could be an every-down player for AZ. The Arizona Cardinals added seven players in the 2025 NFL draft and the hope is that some can contribute and make an impact as rookies in 2025. Defensive lineman Walter Nolen, their first-round pick, and cornerback Will Johnson, their second-round pick, perhaps have the highest expectations as first- and second-round picks. However, of all their draft picks, it is a Day 3 selection who has the greatest possibility of significant playing time. That is linebacker Cody Simon, the Cardinals' fourth-round pick. Why? It comes down to the players on the roster at their position. Nolen is in a room that includes two very good starters in Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell, two established NFL starters in Justin Jones and BIlal Nichols, 2024 first-round draft pick Darius Robinson and then the two defensive linemen who played the best for the Cardinals last season — L.J Collier and Dante Stills. They go seven deep even without Nolen. Nolen will have a limited role in a rotation of players. So he will have a limited opportunity to play. What about Johnson? Well, he has starter potential, but the Cardinals have all four of their main rotational players returning — veteran Sean Murphy-Bunting, budding superstar Garrett Williams, Star Thomas and 2024 second-round pick Max Melton. Expecting Melton's role to increase in 2025, that would mean Johnson would need to supplant Thomas or Murphy-Bunting just to be a fourth cornerback or play in the same role that Melton did last season. Third-round pick Jordan Burch, an outside linebacker, is behind Josh Sweat, Zaven Collins, BJ Ojulari and Baron Browning. He would have to beat out Xavier Thomas to be just the fifth OLB in the rotation. But Simon could viably be a starter and every-down player. They have an opening as the starting "Mike" inside linebacker job with Kyzir White not being re-signed in free agency. They added Akeem Davis-Gaither, but he has only 11 starts in five NFL season, although he is considered the likely starter. They also added Mykal Walker, but he play almost exclusively on special teams last year. Simon was Ohio State's brain and defensive quarterback. It isn't crazy to see him beating out Davis-Gaither to be the "Mike," a role that is usually a 100%-of-snaps role on a defense. Of all the Cardinals' draft picks, it isn't going to be Nolen or Johnson as the most likely starters. It's Simon. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
USA Today
04-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Projecting DL Walter Nolen's rookie role in 2025 for Arizona Cardinals
Projecting DL Walter Nolen's rookie role in 2025 for Arizona Cardinals Even though he is a first-round pick, Nolen likely will not be a starter. The Arizona Cardinals selected seven players in the 2025 NFL draft. Their first-round pick, defensive lineman Walter Nolen, was selected 16th overall. What role could he play for the team as a rookie? We will look at each draft pick and make projections for what role each can viably expect for them in 2025. What is the case for Nolen? Expected role for Arizona Cardinals DL Walter Nolen The Cardinals like to give their first-round picks playing time early. In 2023, tackle Paris Johnson immediately became the starting right tackle. Last year, receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. immediately was the team's starting "X" receiver. However, it was different for defensive lineman Darius Robinson. The Cardinals had starters for the defensive line and he would have played on a rotational basis. However, he got hurt before the season and missed much of the season. When he returned, he played a small role. Nolen enters a deep defensive line room. It has high-end starters Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson on the roster. Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols, who missed most of the season with injuries, are solid NFL starters. The Cardinals also have Robinson, a first-round pick and then Dante Stills and L.J. Collier, both of whom were the Cardinals' top defensive line performers last season. Nolen will not likely be a starter. He will have to compete to even be active on gay days. That said, assuming the room stays healthy, what can be expected is a rotational player, getting 30-40% of the snaps. Hopefully, in those limited snaps, he shows flashes of what the Cardinals believe he can be. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
