Princely Umanmielen Shows Improvement on 2023 Game Film

I liked edge rusher Princely Umanmielen better on his 2023 game film than I liked him in the five games I evaluated him in during the 2022 season.

Umanmielen has since transferred to Ole Miss, but that’s not what this scouting report is about. It’s about how he looked in the 11 games played in 2023 and how his performance translates to the next level.

Pass rushers are a premium in today’s pass-happy NFL (teamrankings.com). With that said, teams covet prospects who show the necessary speed, bend, burst, and pass rush moves to win the edge.

Umanmielen indeed shows first-round pass-rush ability on his 2023 film.

However, he also continued to show an inconsistent motor that cast a dark cloud over those five games I studied in 2022.

So what should NFL Teams do with such a prospect?

Account for the risk.

Tell me more about his game film

Prospects like Umanmielen are the hardest ones to evaluate.

He does some things I like and he does some things I don’t like.

I prefer a prospect to be one way or the other. They’re easy to write up. It’s the ones who are inconsistent who are the most challenging to frame with words. Notice I said “challenging,” which is different than impossible.

Umanmielen has moments he blows past offensive tackles like they’re stuck in mud, and then there are all the other reps when he looks like he’s playing flag football and even my grandma could’ve blocked him from getting into the kitchen.

Does he have pass pass-rushing upside?

Yes.

What will an NFL team get from play to play?

That’s a flip of a coin.

What do his pass-rushing numbers reveal?

Stats can help confirm the game film, but sometimes they don’t. In Umanmielen’s case, there aren’t any hidden stats that show how many pressures, tackles, and sacks he left uncashed when he decided to hit the snooze button.

With that said, his stats do confirm that he has a pass-rushing upside. His stats also confirm that he did indeed perform better in 2023 (7 sacks) compared to 2022 (4.5 sacks). For the record, he played in one less game in 2023 (12) than he did in 2022 (13).

Umanmielen also improved from 22 pressures in 2022 to 45 pressures in 2023.

Run Defense

Umanmielen sometimes additionally muscled his way in to stop the opponent’s run game.

His tackling ability is another story. Umanmielen is an inconsistent and average tackler. He’s capable, but not dependable. Just when it looks like he’s got himself one, he slides off the ball carrier to the turf empty-handed.

This draft prospect still put up respectable run defense numbers.

2023

• 39 tackles (12 tackles for loss)
• 22 solo
• 17 assists

NFL crystal ball

I feel lukewarm about Umanmielen, which is better than the disappointment I felt walking away from his 2022 film. I respect his talent, but his inconsistent motor sours my take on him.

He also cooled down some in the last three games of the 2023 season on game film.

#1 (his jersey number in 2023) Princely Umanmielen 6-foot-4, 255 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Fall Grade: Second-Round (I wouldn’t select him)

Projected by 33.0% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of December 17, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Princely Umanmielen Has Inconsistent Motor (2022: 5 games evaluated)

2023 game film evaluated: McNeese, Tennessee, Charlotte, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, and FSU (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Inconsistent prospect with good speed and athletic ability. More motivated to pass rush than run stop. Mostly lines up standing up. Sometimes lines up with his hand in the dirt. Flip flops from side to side. Capable of being quick and twitchy. Uses hands at the point of attack. Limited pass rush moves. Signature spin move (shown 18 times). Flashed burst and close. Prefers staying clean to make run stops. Inconsistent hand usage versus run. Tends to end up by the pile. Occasionally drops into coverage effectively.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season

1. Consistency?

2. Pass rush production?

3. Tackling ability?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.