The Arizona Cardinals picked Walter Nolen in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, using their pick at No. 16 to secure the Ole Miss defensive tackle. Nolen bolsters the Cardinals' defense, with General Manager Monti Ossenfort praising him as “a disruptive player. He's a three-down player. He's good against the run. He's good against the pass."
With every draft pick, the Cardinals gave Nolen a jersey and a new hat. But that’s boring. Every draft pick gets that. It’s time to spice it up, and here’s what I think the Cardinals should get their first-round draft pick before he reports to training camp.
Audiobooks On Mindfulness
What’s a good way to pass the time doing cardio? Audiobooks. So, get Walter an Audible account, specifically, one that’s preloaded with books to help expand someone’s awareness. Maybe Fully Present by Susan L. Smalley and Diana Winston, or How To Live In The Now by Ernest Holm Svendsen. By honing his ability to be focused in the moment, not only will Nolen live a more enriching life, but he will be able to improve his pre-snap planning and hand usage.
Nolen was noted for being a little late and wide with arm placement, which allowed offensive linemen to get to his chest. He also needs to develop his skills with the pass-rush. Those self-help books may also change his perspective, with him seeing these as areas of improvement instead of “red flags” or “negatives.”
A Rideshare Gift Gard
Budda Baker got ticketed for $500 for speeding in 2018. Robert Nkemdiche was caught speeding and driving with a suspended license in 2019. Zaven Collins got busted for reckless driving in 2021. Marquise Brown was charged with criminal speeding in 2022 after going over 126 MPH in a 65 MPH zone. Let’s not add Walter Nolen to that list. Get him an Uber or Lyft gift card. Something. Please.
Aaron Donald’s Phone Number
Nolen idolizes Aaron Donald. “I feel like I can do it all,” he told Draft Network in January. “Aaron Donald did it all at the highest level. I’m a younger, upcoming version of Aaron Donald. I just can’t wait to show everybody that when I get this opportunity I’m being blessed with.”
During the 2025 NFL combine, Donald delivered a special video message to his young protégé.
"Just wanted to reach out to you and tell you good luck at the combine. Do you thing. Have fun. It’s the same thing you’ve been doing all your life. It’s only football, right? So whatever you did on the field this year to get you this far, it’s for a reason so be confident, believe in your abilities and go out there and just do your thing."Aaron Donald to Walter Nolen
Cardinals, we know: the Rams are a division rival. But Donald just retired last year. Find out his asking price for a weekly check-in with Nolen. Have him be his mentor. Hire him on as a defensive consultant! Find the money. It'll be worth it.
A Turntable
Nolen told Draft Network that there’s a lot of Lil’ Boosie and NBA Youngboy on his pre-game playlist. With a lot of talk about his “maturity” issues and his aggressive style of play, maybe he should cut these rappers (considering Boosie’s facing 10 years in prison over firearm possession charges, and YoungBoy just served time for his own gun-related arrest).
Instead, let’s stock him up with some records (and maybe a Vinyl Me Please subscription). The audio format requires you to stay relatively close and pay attention (to when you need to flip the record). It’ll be great to build focus and patience, which will be beneficial in avoiding false starts or roughing the passer penalties.
Hot Sauce
Walter is from Tennessee. There’s a lot of fine dining in Glendale, home of State Farm Stadium, but if Nolen’s partial to Memphis barbecue, he might need some time to adjust to southwest cooking. Get him a couple of cases of Arizona Gunslinger or Big Red’s, and he should be fine. And it will light a literal fire under his ass to get a starting position in the 2025 season.