First things first. The Carolina Panthers used the eighth overall pick in this draft to select wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan from the University of Arizona. On Day 2 of the three-day event, general manager Dan Morgan made two different trades, first with the Denver Broncos and now with the New England Patriots.
Earlier in Round 2, Morgan opted for Texas A&M pass rusher Nic Scourton. The team would double its pleasure when it came to this valuable area by grabbing Ole Miss sack artist Princely Umanmielen with that 77th overall selection. The 6’4”, 244-pound prospect spent five seasons in the SEC, the first four at the University of Florida. With the Gators, there were 15.0 sacks and three forced fumbles in 45 contests. Umanmielen really emerged in his lone season with the Rebels via 37 tackles, 10.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and a fumble return for a touchdown.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had this scouting report. “Finesse edge defender with traits, athleticism and upside to have his sack production translate to the NFL. Umanmielen is a serious ground-gainer with burst, stride and bend to create shallow edges leading directly into the quarterback’s drop space. He’s not instinctive and takes predictable pathways to the pocket, but he’s simply hard to keep out of the pocket due to his attributes.
“He lacks play strength and aggression as a run defender. He will have trouble setting edges and might not be an early down option early in his career. Umanmielen is an ascending stand-up edge rusher who might be just scratching the surface of his already threatening rush talent.”
The combination of Scourton and Umanmielen, along with the free-agent signing of Patrick Jones II this offseason, gives Carolina three young pass-rushers that could solve this team’s recent issues when it comes to corralling opposing quarterbacks.