Princely Umanmielen garnering attention from NFL personnel
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — He led the Florida Gators in sacks and tackles for a loss, but Princely Umanmielen isn’t garnering a ton of draft buzz. While Umanmielen might be flying under the radar to most, two publications have noticed the junior edge rusher.
On Tuesday On3’s Matt Zenitz listed Umanmielen as one of his 10 defensive players that are viewed higher by NFL personnel than the media is projecting.
Umanmielen set single-season career highs with 39 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. He also registered 27 quarterback pressures in 2022, good for the most on the team and 23rd-most in the SEC from any defensive position.
“Princely, he’s changed his body. I’ve been really, really, really impressed with him,” EDGE coach Mike Peterson said. “We all know he can do everything on the field. We’ve been talking about the things away from football — taking care of your body. How to watch tape. What are you watching? Your eyes. Man, it’s been great. Every day, I can pull a clip where he’s playing with effort.”
Matt Zenitz on Umanmielen
On3 Senior national college football reporter Matt Zenitz had this to say of Umanmielen.
Umanmielen is probably Florida’s top 2024 draft prospect aside from cornerback Jason Marshall. The 6-foot-5, 254-pound Umanmielen broke out last year for the Gators with 39 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. Current NFL grades on him are in the third-round range. “He’s a guy that can do a lot of things for you on defense,” Florida EDGE coach Mike Peterson said during the spring. “For a guy with that size, he’s able to drop into coverage. He can definitely rush the passer. We’ve been talking about showing everybody that he can also play the run. So he has all the tools.”
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Pro Football focus takes notice
Last month, Pro Football Focus named Princely Umanmielen one of its ten best EDGE rushers available in the 2024 NFL Draft. PFF had this to say of Umanmielen.
Umanmielen’s 88.1 pass-rushing grade over the past two seasons ranks fourth among returning Power Five edge defenders. The junior can do more than just get after the quarterback, as his 21 run-defense stops this year also stood top 10 among Power Five edge defenders.
Umanmielen was joined by the following prospects on PFF’s list of 10 draft-eligible edge rushers to know ahead of the 2023 season:
- Jared Verse, Florida State
- Dallas Turner, Alabama
- Chop Robinson, Penn State
- J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State
- Bralen Trice, Washington
- Laiatu Latu, UCLA
- Jack Swayer, Ohio State
- Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Washington
- Gabriel Murphy, UCLA
