GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 23: Mississippi Rebels defensive end Princely Umanmielen (1) lines up for a play during the game between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi Rebels on November 23, 2024 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

People Are Sleeping on Ole Miss Edge Princely Umanmielen

February 26, 2025 | Daniel Kelly | Articles

Reading Time: 3 minutes

OXFORD, MS – OCTOBER 26: Mississippi Rebels defensive end Princely Umanmielen (1) rushes on defense during a college football game against the Oklahoma Sooners on October 26, 2024 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Ole Miss Edge Princley Umanmielen isn’t getting the love, but he will get it from me.

His game film shows he deserves it.

He’s been showing steady improvement over the past three seasons. He’s gone from a fourth-round grade to a second-round grade to the BIG GRADE he’s getting from me this time around.

I’ve studied him at the University of Florida to Ole Miss and I’ll say this ⎯

He’s developed into one of the best defenders in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Looks like an NFL veteran

This is about as big of a compliment as I can give him.

Umanmielen knows how to set up offensive tackles and he knows how to generate pressure.

These are the biggest things that stood out to me.

It was fun watching him lurk from one side of the offensive line to the other testing offensive tackles with the mix of speed, power, and pass-rushing moves this prospect possesses.

The results confirmed the film.

2024:

11 sacks
16 hits
28 hurries

Umanmielen was a constant source of pressure and disruption ⎯spinning off blocks (something he is really good at) and giving second and third efforts ⎯to the point I ran out of room in my notes.

Run defense

Don’t mistake Umanmielen for a pass-rush specialist either.

Nope.

He takes run defense seriously. He fights through blocks like he means it.

2024:

37 tackles
19 solo
14 tackles for loss

So then why are people sleeping on him?

That’s a great question and I can’t answer that for them.

Currently, less than 30% of the other draft platforms have a first-round projection on Umanmielen.

However, this type of thing happens every year.

Mainstream media outlets tend to all like or not like a prospect.

Weaknesses?

Yes.

The biggest one that I saw on game film was he has slight tightness in his hips that can cause him to be unable to make quick crisp changes of direction when needed.

It’s subtle.

Not a huge deal ⎯but it was noticeable from time to time.

Don’t get confused

Because Umanmielen paces himself, there could be a question out there about his “effort level.” That was my concern a couple of years ago, but that’s no longer a valid concern.

That’s the benefit of studying more of a prospect’s full body of work in 27 games over the past three seasons.

His “effort level” shows up in the number of hits and hurries he has pass rushing and it shows up in his run-defense production.

NFL value

After watching every snap Umanmielen played in this past season, I can’t see him getting out of the first-round.

His game film was too good.

#1 Princley Umanmielen 6-foot-3, 255 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2025 Final NFL Draft Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 26.6% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of February 26, 2025 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

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

Princely Umanmielen Shows Improvement on 2023 Game Film (2023: 11 games evaluated)

2024 game film evaluated: Furman, Middle Tennessee, Wake Forest, Georgia Southern, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi State, and Duke (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

Note: Explanation of why he transferred to Ole Miss

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

A three-down muscular and determined defender. Strong upper body and thighs. Opportunistic. Good sense of timing. Instinctual. Athletic. Energetic. Twitchy. Sudden. Physical. Smooth. Shows some emotion. Plays with a chip on his shoulder. Above average playing speed. Inconsistent first step. Knows how to bend the edge by taking countersteps inside and outside to get offensive tackles to over-commit. Excellent dipping under pad level and getting through the back door of the pocket. Presses inside gaps. Quick active hands. Pass rush moves: Spin, slap-and-go, and jump move. Likes to stunt inside. Quarterback minded. Good close. Flashes short area burst. Draws a lot of double teams and chip blocks. Tackles hard in the run game. Inconsistent shed. Disciplined to the scheme.

Final words

Umanmielen is the most polished pass rusher in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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.