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Three 2025 NFL Draft prospects to watch from Ole Miss
Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart. Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Three 2025 NFL Draft prospects to watch from Ole Miss

By William Schwartz  |  Last updated Jul 25, 2024 3:32 PM ET

The new-look SEC is tougher than ever with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas, but Mississippi doesn't have to be perfect to make it into the revamped, 12-team College Football Playoff.

With a friendly schedule and a talent-laden roster, Lane Kiffin's team could soar, perhaps even bettering last season's 11-2 record. 

Here are the three best Ole Miss prospects to watch ahead of the NFL Draft, which begins April 24, 2025.

Princely Umanmielen | Edge-rusher

Pro Football Network's Dalton Miller on Umanmielen: "A gem of a pass rusher."

Prospect ranking: Pro Football Focus (No. 46), Tankathon (No. 26), Pro Football Network (No. 22)

After dominant seasons as a full-time player at Florida in 2022 and 2023, Umanmielen transferred to Ole Miss. Now, he'll look to take the final step in his development. 

The sack numbers for Umanmielen might not be eye-catching (15 in four seasons at Florida), but advanced metrics such as Pro Football Focus' pass-rush grade (above-average 83 in each of the past three seasons) and pass-rush win rate (21.1% in 2023) paint a much more favorable picture. 

At 6-foot-5 and 256 pounds, Umanmielen is a great athlete but could stand to pack on a few more pounds for the NFL.

Draft services have Umanmielen listed as at least a top-10 edge-rusher, so he could raise his stock with a big season.

Walter Nolen | Defensive line

Sports Illustrated's Ben King on Nolen: "One of the premier interior defenders."

Prospect ranking: Pro Football Focus (No. 89), Tankathon (No. 33), Pro Football Network (No. 64)

Coming out of high school, Nolen was viewed as one of the best prospects in the country by 247Sports. He hasn't lived up to that billing, but with just two seasons behind him, the Texas A&M transfer has time to rise.

Nolen's quick first step and impactful hands make things tough for offensive linemen immediately after the snap, and the 6-foot-4, 291-pounder has the power to turn that explosive start into a big play.

Nolen could fly up draft boards or take a tumble to the point that he stays in school for another season. Few prospects have more to gain or lose than he does this season.

Jaxson Dart | Quarterback

Sports Illustrated's Ben King on Dart: "Has proven himself to be a leader of men."

Prospect ranking: Pro Football Focus (No. 89), Tankathon (unranked), Pro Football Network (No. 57)

Every year in college, Dart has improved in the key categories of touchdown-to-interception ratio (23-5 last season), passer rating (162.4 in 2023), completion percentage (65.1) and yardage per attempt (9.4). 

At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Dart checks the boxes to be an NFL passer. He has pro-level arm talent and is improving consistently in terms of his processing, especially with reading the middle of the field and layering in throws. 

In December, Dart's name could be called at the Heisman ceremony in New York. In April, his name could be called on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. 

William Schwartz

William Schwartz has been writing about sports since middle school, when he started his own blog. Since then, he has written in every capacity from school newspapers to sports news outlets. He graduated from the University of Michigan and his goal is to provide readers with entertainment, insight, and strong analysis on all of your favorite teams and players

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