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Peter Schrager Projects the 49ers to Draft D-Tackle Walter Nolen

The 49ers' most pressing need in the upcoming draft is defensive tackle and it's not particularly close.
Grant Cohn|
Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive tackle Walter Nolen (2) sacks Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive tackle Walter Nolen (2) sacks Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers' most pressing need in the upcoming draft is defensive tackle and it's not particularly close.

The best defensive tackle the 49ers currently have on their roster is Jordan Elliott who was a liability last season. They desperately need to draft a difference-maker.

That's why ESPN's Peter Schrager projects the 49ers to take Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen with the 11th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

"I'd be shocked if Nolen fell out of the top 15 at this point -- he might be the fastest riser in this draft," writes Schrager. "He's quick, is a people mover and has had a great predraft process. Everyone is focused on Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, but Nolen is the Rebels' prospect I hear about more. Don't be shocked if he goes before Mason Graham, the more heralded defensive tackle.

"The defensive line was once a real strength of the 49ers. It's time to return to that era."

Schrager makes a compelling case for Nolen who is a terrific athlete. He's similar to Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske who recorded a whopping 8.5 sacks as a rookie last season.

Both Fiske and Nolen are on the lighter side for defensive tackles -- each weighs less than 300 pounds. Which means that either one might struggle to defend the run in the 49ers' Wide 9 defensive front.

The 49ers have to decide if they want to spend their first-round pick on a defensive player who won't help them much against the run. Because their run defense was worse than their pass rush last season, and a good way to improve a pass rush is to shut down the run and force lots of third-and-longs.

I would pass on Nolen.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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