Cardinals rookie DT Walter Nolen determined to erase doubts about character

TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals first-round pick Walter Nolen’s abilities on the football field have rarely been questioned this NFL Draft cycle.

His traits off of it? That’s a different story.

Despite coming off an All-American showing in 2024 behind 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss (career highs), there has been plenty of chatter surrounding his football character.

On Wednesday, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that “Nolen’s practice habits and sense of entitlement have been questioned,” while adding fit was going to be huge for the defensive tackle.

Not truly loving the game of football was another reported knock on the big man.

Now a Cardinal, Nolen is ready to prove the off-the-field noise is just that.

“I don’t feel any type of way now,” Nolen said when asked what he thought about the character issue chatter. “Now, it’s just time for me to go show everybody that they’re wrong and just help put the Cardinals back in a better situation, get back in the playoffs and make a run.”

“The Cardinals took a chance on me and I’m blessed for that,” he added. “I can’t wait to get there.”

Sounds like Cardinals did their due diligence on first-round pick Walter Nolen

With character issues attached — warranted or not — Arizona took it upon itself to do some digging behind a top 30 visit with the prospect this draft cycle.

It was then that Nolen noticed something he hadn’t with other prospective teams.

And based on Thursday night’s happenings, it’s clear he checked the right box for a front office that is huge on getting the right character within the locker room.

Now within Arizona’s defensive line room, Nolen will at least have the support of veteran offseason signings Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell, the latter of whom entered the NFL in 2008 and has been lauded for his leadership abilities.

“I feel like out of everybody, Arizona actually like wanted to get to know me,” he said. “They didn’t take what people were saying about me. They came straight to the source. I’m a straightforward person, so for them to you kind of believe in me and put faith in me, I just can’t wait to get out there and perform.”

Walter Nolen’s tape speaks for itself

And as for that talk about not loving football?

Head coach Jonathan Gannon didn’t have to go to great lengths in debunking that outside noise.

All head coach Jonathan Gannon needs to do is turn on Walter Nolen’s tape to know the Cardinals first-rounder loves football. pic.twitter.com/8pkZ8gMGz0

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) April 25, 2025

“He gets his hat on the ball and the guy plays with extreme motor, which that tells me loves football,” Gannon said after the first round concluded on Thursday. “When you see a guy that’s playing 50 to 60 snaps in the college game, not huddling on the ball, and he’s running down screens and getting out of the stack and trying to dump people and putting his face in the pile like that.

“That jumps out on the tape for a 300-plus pound guy that’s playing a ton of snaps. That was very That was the first thing I jumped off the tape. This guy plays really hard. That was all I really needed to see.”

First-round pick Walter Nolen is “1,000%” an Arizona Cardinal, says head coach Jonathan Gannon. pic.twitter.com/eWLEOqQHFr

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) April 25, 2025

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