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The University of Mississippi Athletics
NFL DRAFT: Princely Umanmielen Selected by Carolina Panthers in Third Round of 2025 NFL Draft
4/25/2025 | Football
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Ole Miss football senior defensive end Princely Umanmielen was selected 77th overall by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday night, the third Rebel selected on the night after both Tre Harris and Trey Amos went earlier in the second round.
Umanmielen is the highest Rebel defensive end or edge taken since Sam Williams was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round in 2022 (pick 56). He's also the first Ole Miss defensive player selected by Carolina since defensive end Marquis Haynes went in the fourth round in 2018 (pick 136).
Combined with first-round selections Walter Nolen (Arizona Cardinals, 16th overall) and Jaxson Dart (New York Giants, 25th overall), this now stands as the most Rebels ever taken within the first three rounds of any professional football draft – breaking the prior record of four from 1966, 1968 and 2019.
Umanmielen was one of many key transfer pieces to Ole Miss' powerful 2024 defense, coming to Oxford following four productive seasons at Florida. As a Rebel in 2024, Umanmielen landed on All-America teams by the AFCA (second-team) and Phil Steele (third-team), and was a first-team All-SEC selection by the league coaches.
The Austin, Texas native was a mainstay on the edge for Ole Miss, playing in 12 games and providing a fearsome presence in the pass rush. Umanmielen owned 10.5 of the Rebels' school-record 52 sacks and 13.5 of their record 120 tackles for loss – both of which led the nation in the team categories. Those 10.5 sacks ranked Umanmielen tied for both the team lead and tied for second in Ole Miss single-season history. Umanmielen also led the team with 14 QB hurries while adding 37 total tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in the endzone for a touchdown.
Umanmielen had five games with at least 2.0 TFL and three with at least 2.0 sacks – the latter of which came all in a row. He finished the season second in the SEC and tied for eighth nationally in sacks per game (0.88), as well as tied for second in the SEC and 10th nationally in total sacks (10.5) and sixth in the SEC in total TFL (13.5).
Per PFF, Umanmielen was the top-rated SEC defender across all positions in defensive rating at 91.1 (No. 5 FBS) and pass rush grade at 91.5 (No. 6 FBS) with a minimum of 470 snaps. He owned the second-most PFF-rated pressures among all SEC defenders (55), and rated as PFF's No. 2 edge rusher in the nation and the top edge in the SEC at his pass rush grade of 91.5.
Gallery: (4-23-2025) NFL DRAFT: Princely Umanmielen
Umanmielen is the highest Rebel defensive end or edge taken since Sam Williams was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round in 2022 (pick 56). He's also the first Ole Miss defensive player selected by Carolina since defensive end Marquis Haynes went in the fourth round in 2018 (pick 136).
Combined with first-round selections Walter Nolen (Arizona Cardinals, 16th overall) and Jaxson Dart (New York Giants, 25th overall), this now stands as the most Rebels ever taken within the first three rounds of any professional football draft – breaking the prior record of four from 1966, 1968 and 2019.
Umanmielen was one of many key transfer pieces to Ole Miss' powerful 2024 defense, coming to Oxford following four productive seasons at Florida. As a Rebel in 2024, Umanmielen landed on All-America teams by the AFCA (second-team) and Phil Steele (third-team), and was a first-team All-SEC selection by the league coaches.
The Austin, Texas native was a mainstay on the edge for Ole Miss, playing in 12 games and providing a fearsome presence in the pass rush. Umanmielen owned 10.5 of the Rebels' school-record 52 sacks and 13.5 of their record 120 tackles for loss – both of which led the nation in the team categories. Those 10.5 sacks ranked Umanmielen tied for both the team lead and tied for second in Ole Miss single-season history. Umanmielen also led the team with 14 QB hurries while adding 37 total tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in the endzone for a touchdown.
Umanmielen had five games with at least 2.0 TFL and three with at least 2.0 sacks – the latter of which came all in a row. He finished the season second in the SEC and tied for eighth nationally in sacks per game (0.88), as well as tied for second in the SEC and 10th nationally in total sacks (10.5) and sixth in the SEC in total TFL (13.5).
Per PFF, Umanmielen was the top-rated SEC defender across all positions in defensive rating at 91.1 (No. 5 FBS) and pass rush grade at 91.5 (No. 6 FBS) with a minimum of 470 snaps. He owned the second-most PFF-rated pressures among all SEC defenders (55), and rated as PFF's No. 2 edge rusher in the nation and the top edge in the SEC at his pass rush grade of 91.5.
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