BREAKING: Packers Linked To 305-Pound Defensive Lineman With 13.5 Sacks

Oct 6, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur watches game action against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers have wisely invested in adding high-upside prospects during the NFL Draft, on offense, to build around quarterback Jordan Love.

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst is shown before their game against the Houston Texans Sunday, October 20, 2024 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

General Manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers’ commitment to the offense has yielded a supporting cast around Love who at an average age of just 23.5 is already one of the most explosive collections of skill players in the league.

Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Tucker Kraft, and Luke Musgrave all have the opportunity to grow and develop alongside Love in the years to come.

Now, though, Gutekunst and the Packers would be wise to turn the attention into the defense and replicate the strategy in hopes of developing a roster capable of playing dominant complementary football.

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Sep 28, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive linemen Walter Nolen (2) and linebacker Suntarine Perkins (4) reacts after a tackle during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

As teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and Detroit Lions have underscored in recent years, dominance along both lines of scrimmage is pivotal to sustained runs at the Super Bowl.

Gutekunst and the Packers could replicate that plan in the 2025 NFL Draft.

In CBS Sports’ analyst Josh Edwards’ latest NFL Mock Draft, the Packers select Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolan with the No. 24 overall pick.

“Green Bay continues the investment into its defensive front with the selection of Walter Nolen,” Edwards writes for CBS. “Nolen transferred to Ole Miss after beginning his career at Texas A&M as the No. 2 overall recruit out of high school.”

At 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, Nolan is a bowling ball along the interior.

Last season, Nolan logged a career-high 48 total tackles with a personal-best 6.5 sacks, pushing his career-total to 11.5 sacks across three seasons at Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

Continuing to fortify the defensive line could be the key to further unlocking the success of the Packers’ secondary in coordinator Jeff Hafley’s scheme.

Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is shown before their game against the Houston Texans Sunday, October 20, 2024 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. © Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images