Defensive tackle and edge rusher are significant needs for the 49ers heading into the 2025 NFL Draft following the release of Javon Hargrave, Leonard Floyd, and Maliek Collins.
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The Athletic's Matt Barrows adds that the 49ers will also bring in Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams for a visit.
Nolen spent the 2024 season at Ole Miss after transferring from Texas A&M. He posted a career-high 48 tackles (14 for a loss), 6.5 sacks, and three passes defensed, according to Sports Reference. Over his three collegiate seasons, he tallied 11.5 sacks.
"Nolen is becoming a popular mock-draft choice to the 49ers because of his quickness and run defense," Barrows recently wrote. "Like [Michigan DT Mason] Graham, he's a little smaller than the prototypical defensive tackle — Nolen is 296 pounds with 32 1/2-inch arms — and he wasn't as productive in college as [Oregon DT Derrick] Harmon."
Williams recorded 67 total tackles (23 for a loss), 14 sacks, four passes defensed, and three forced fumbles across three seasons at Georgia, per Sports Reference. Five of those sacks came in 2024, a year in which an ankle injury likely hampered his production.
"He's expected to be the second defensive end off the board after Penn State's Abdul Carter," Barrows wrote of Williams. "A season-long ankle injury likely sank Williams' production — five sacks, nine tackles for loss — last season. But his size and relentlessness should serve him well in the NFL. Drafting a defensive end early could be the answer to the 49ers' long-running musical chairs situation at the position."
With Robert Saleh back as the team's defensive coordinator, the 49ers could view both prospects as potential first-round targets to help rebuild their defensive front.
Additionally, Barrows previously reported that the 49ers will host Tennessee defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott on a pre-draft visit.
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