NFL draft analyst has high hopes for Panthers' rookie pass-rushing tandem

Getting after opposing quarterbacks has been more than a one-year problem for the Carolina Panthers. The team may have found some answers in this year’s draft

Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive lineman Princely Umanmielen (1) reacts during the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

This offseason, Panthers’ general manager Dan Morgan addressed all aspects of a defensive unit that was the worst in the league this past season. One of the big problems was fixing a pass rush that had produced a mere 59 sacks in the team’s last 34 games. In 2023, Carolina finished with a league-low 27 sacks. In ‘24, the Panthers totaled only 32 quarterback traps—tied for the third-fewest in the NFL.

Recently, numerous ESPN football minds were asked a series of questions regarding the recently-concluded 2025 NFL draft. One of those was to give a bold prediction regarding this year’s rookie class. NFL analyst Ben Solak came up with this regarding Dave Canales’s club.

Oct 26, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Nic Scourton (11) reacts against the LSU Tigers during the fourth quarter. The Aggies defeated the Tigers 38-23; at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

“The Panthers’ two rookie edge rushers—Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen—will start by the end of the season. Scourton has a preposterously high ceiling as a three-down player, including some of the best movement skills I’ve seen in an edge rusher who’s over 280 pounds.

“Umanmielen is a silky smooth mover at a much lighter weight, but he has the length and flexibility to be a disruptive edge rusher. The future is bright at pass rusher in Carolina, especially after the release of Jadeveon Clowney.”

Scourton finished with 37 tackles and five sacks in 2024, his lone season at Texas A&M. A year earlier, he racked up 10.0 QB traps with the Purdue Boilermakers. Meanwhile, Umanmielen finished with 10.5 sacks in his only campaign at Ole Miss, this after 15.0 sacks and three forced fumbles in four seasons at the University of Florida.

Perhaps the real question here for Canales’s team is not whether Scourton and Umanmielen will make an impact in 2025, but just how quickly it will happen this season?

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