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NIf the Green Bay Packers truly want to bolster their defensive line, they could do no better than adding an Aaron Donald-like player to their front seven. According to Ole Miss prospect Walter Nolen, that is exactly who he is ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Several months after he compared himself to the Los Angeles Rams legend, Nolen took a trip to Green Bay for a pre-draft visit, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. The Packers also hosted Oregon defensive end Jordan Burch, indicating a clear defensive line focus.
Coming off an absurd 6.5-sack season with Ole Miss in 2024, Nolen has received many comparisons to Donald. He has fully embraced the comparisons, calling himself the “next Aaron Donald” in an interview with The Draft Network’s Justin Melo at the 2025 Senior Bowl.
Nolen is projected to be a late first-round pick, falling into the Packers’ range at No. 23. His fit in Green Bay’s roster would make sense, considering Devonte Wyatt’s upcoming free agency and Kenny Clark quickly aging out of his athletic prime.
While some players do not like getting compared to, Donald has fully embraced Nolen as the potential “next” version of himself. The retired defensive tackle took a liking to Nolen, compelling him to send a personalized message to the Ole Miss prospect at the 2025 NFL Draft Combine.
“I heard you say you’re the next Aaron Donald,” Donald said in his message. “So keep doing your thing, man. Hopefully, you have a good career, a long career, [and] a better career than I had. I’ll be watching you and see how this thing turns out for you.”
Ole Miss DL Walter Nolen wants to be the next @AaronDonald97.
So it's only fitting he got a message from Donald himself
: #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork
: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/2c2zWorBgL— NFL (@NFL) February 28, 2025
The message clearly resonated with Nolen, who appeared emotional while watching the video.
With the draft on the horizon, scouts cannot find many issues with Nolen’s physical play style from his game tape. However, the biggest issue many see in him is his inconsistency.
Before thriving at Ole Miss, Nolen was up-and-down in two seasons at Texas A&M. Before then, he struggled to find stability even more in high school. His on-field production was never the issue, but Nolen spent time at four different schools in his four prep years.
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