Cardinals Host Draft Pass Rusher on Top 30 Visit

The standout pass rusher started his college career in Gainesville with the Florida Gators as a four-star recruit out of Manor, Texas. It took some time for him to earn significant playing to with UF, but he broke out in his redshirt junior season in 2023 with seven sacks — one less than what he compiled in his previous three seasons.

Umanmielen decided to enter the transfer portal for his final season of college football and went to Oxford to play with the Rebels. It was this move that would be the catalyst to launch him into more serious conversations as a top pass rusher in the draft class.

In his lone season with Ole Miss, Unmanmielen cracked double-digit sacks with 10.5. There was an improvement seen from previous seasons at Florida that were evident beyond the sack numbers, too.

With just a few weeks to go before the draft, Umanmielen has made the most of his draft process and is trending toward to top half of day two for his potential total draft spot.

Several teams could use a player like him. The 6’4 and 244 lbs pass rusher has progressively gotten better each season and will only continue ascending with next-level coaching.

As far as a fit with the Cardinals, Umanmielen would find himself in the teams pass rushing rotation. Josh Sweat will anchor one starting spot with the other expected to host several guys including Baron Browning and BJ Ojulari. Umanmielen would join that group.  

Placing him in a role where he can take time in between plays and drives will help him to adjust to the pros gradually instead of throwing him into the fire. So long as the guys ahead of him do their jobs, Umanmielen may find himself a perfect situation.

Considering the investments made to the defensive line recently with signings of Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell plus Darius Robinson entering his second season, Arizona should be focused on their edge rushers.

Umanmielen is a great trade down candidate for the Cardinals if they want to secure him on day one and grab a fifth-year option for his rookie deal. They could also find him early on day two if they go a different direction round one.

No matter where he’s selected, his future employer can rest assured knowing they’re getting a stud pass rusher with a high ceiling in Umanmielen.