Throughout the pre-draft process, the Carolina Panthers are among the few teams with a top-10 selection that have given almost no indications of their intentions with the No. 8 pick. However, the day before the 2025 NFL Draft, some seem to believe they are interested in Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen.

While Nolen has been a consensus first-round talent, the opinions of his talent and character among scouts have progressively increased. His draft skyrocketed into the top 10, where internal discussions of him potentially going to the Panthers at No. 8 were at an all-time high on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Matt Miller.

“[Walter] Nolen has been a red-hot riser in the days leading up to the draft as the Panthers, 49ers and Cowboys were all connected to him by scouts,” Miller wrote. “Smoke screen? Maybe, but chatter connecting Carolina to Nolen was rampant Wednesday.”

Nolen, who previously called himself the “next Aaron Donald,” is quickly becoming one of the top defensive tackles of the class. Though he has yet to surpass Michigan's Mason Graham, most now view him as the second-best interior lineman in the draft, surpassing Oregon's Derrick Harmon, Texas A&M's Shemar Turner, Michigan's Kenneth Grant, and others.

Panthers enter 2025 NFL Draft with nine picks

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Ahead of Ejiro Evero's third season as defensive coordinator, the Panthers have already spent a considerable effort on their defensive line. After ranking as one of the worst run defenses in 2024, Carolina signed budding stars Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III in free agency.

Aside from the additions of Wharton and Brown, Carolina was relatively modest in free agency. The Panthers have only signed seven new players since March and instead made it a priority to re-sign their own talent. Most of their cap space was used on retaining Jaycee Horn, Michael Jackson and Tommy Tremble.

With multiple positions still to address, the Panthers begin the 2025 NFL Draft with nine selections to use, placing them on par with the rest of the league. After free agency, Carolina still needs edge rushers, safeties, wide receivers, tight ends and cornerbacks.