Walter Nolen — NFL Mock Draft Roundup 2.0

PROJECTED TRADE WITH LOS ANGELES RAMS

Why change something that works? Philadelphia moves up in Round 1 for a defensive lineman once again -- after doing so to acquire Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis -- plugging Nolen into the void left by free-agent departure Milton Williams. The Eagles give the Rams their late third-round pick and one of four fifth-rounders in order to move up six spots, while also receiving a sixth-round pick from Los Angeles in the deal.

I've been pounding the table for Walter Nolen throughout this entire process, and will continue to do so. He's my DT2 in the class behind Graham, and he's my No. 9 overall player, so the Cardinals getting him here is a great pick in my eyes. Good job by me.

The injury to Tua Tagovailoa was obviously the biggest factor in Miami's disappointing 8-9 season, but don't overlook the loss of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to the Raiders in free agency last offseason. The Dolphins could see similar attributes in Nolen, whose burst and agility make him the No. 1 DT on many teams' boards.

The Bills pass on the wider Kenneth Grant to stick with what appears to be a theme of the offseason in Buffalo -- get more explosive.

The Eagles lost a couple of key players on their defensive line in free agency, letting Milton Williams and Josh Sweat walk. General manager Howie Roseman has shown over the years that he values talent over everything in the draft. That method helped them win a Super Bowl, so I think Nolen would be the pick here. It's possible he doesn't fall this far in the actual draft. If he does, we'll all be wondering, "How did we let the Eagles get Walter Nolen?"

This would be the third time in four years that the Eagles draft a defensive tackle, and GM Howie Roseman has historically favored the trenches on Day 1 of the draft. We just talked about the Chiefs' offensive line issues, and it was the Eagles' defensive line that gave it fits at the Super Bowl. Milton Williams had two sacks in that game. Williams also is now in New England on a big free agent deal, so Roseman could go back to the trenches again to find a replacement.

Nolen is very disruptive thanks to explosive traits and strong hands. He had 6.5 sacks and 15 run stops last season. And while he didn't go to Georgia, Nolen at least keeps the Eagles' direct line to SEC defensive tackles alive.

Walter Nolen is a butt-kicker in the run game at the three-tech position. That's the missing link on what is a terrifying Lions defensive line when healthy.

Buffalo's defensive overhaul continues with the selection of Walter Nolen. Buffalo is undeterred by the idea of teams finding some ability to run the ball because they can still often control the flow of the game, so more size up front isn't necessarily a must.

Still, when the Bills are in positive game scripts, Nolen can be a closer along the front with the rest of a talented group.