Panthers rookie pass rusher promises he has plenty of power to thrive in NFL

The Carolina Panthers made no great secret of their interest in Ole Miss edge rusher Princely Umanmielen in the run-up to the 2025 NFL draft. Not only did they meet with Umanmielen multiple times, ESPN had them pegged as one of the teams that was most keen on picking him.

Coming out of the draft Carolina's edge rotation looked far stronger than it did going in, but the surprise release of Jadeveon Clowney was a serious blow to this group's depth at the top. While DJ Wonnum and Patrick Jones II are now projected to start, the move puts a lot more pressure on the Panthers' two rookies - Umanmielen and Nic Scourton - to perform out of the gate.

While it's a tall order to expect anything from rookies, these are two of the best edge prospects in a deep class of them and they both seem confident they'll make an impact right away. They get it done in very different ways, though. While Scourton relied on his power in college, Umanmielen used more of a finesse game. However, Umanmielen insists he has more than enough power to get by in the NFL - per Joe Person at The Athletic.

“I didn’t really have to use power against offensive tackles. I was winning with my moves, so there was no reason to convert to power... There were times where I go power and it does show up on film a lot. I squat 700 pounds, so I know I have a lot of power.”

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. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

While it's important to have power, it's also less effective in the NFL than at the college level. Pros have to learn to develop a repertoir of pass rush moves, and Umanmielen appears to have a head-start in this critical department.

Umanmielen will need to keep growing that part of his game, and Scourton will need to follow his lead. However, that key difference between them is one reason why we liked the Princely pick more as a prospect and gave the Panthers a higher grade.

Whatever happens this coming season, the Panthers are probably going to need to reload at edge once again in next year's draft, assuming DJ Wonnum leaves after his contract is up. If these two work out and the Panthers hit the right buttons in 2026 this group could soon be a roster strength rather than a weakness.

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