Why one analyst likes Panthers rookie Princely Umanmielen over Nic Scourton

The Carolina Panthers passed on a deep class of edge rushers in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, but they doubled up on two of the best with their next picks. In the second round they took Texas A&M edge Nic Scourton, who was projected to come off the board sooner than that. In the third the Panthers picked Princely Umanmielen from Ole MIss, who was also a high-value pick compared to his original projection.

We liked both picks at the time - the Scourton selection got a B+ grade, while the Umanmielen pick came in at an A-. It seems we're not alone in prefering Umanmielen over Scourton. According to Brent Sobleski at Bleacher Report, Umanmielen has more upside.

"To Morgan's comments, Umanmielen has the more traditional build and approach as a pass-rusher compared to Scourton. The Texas A&M product has a stockier build and uses power with a spin counter that can really throw an offensive tackle off-balance. In contrast, the Ole Miss draft pick is long and lean with the flexibility to get under the pads of an opposing blocker and turn the edge. Both approaches can work. Umanmielen has more upside overall, though."

Both can work, but the fact is that Umanmielen's speed and repertoire of moves is more likely to work out at the NFL level than a mostly-power approach like Scourton. At least as rookies, Umanmielen is better suited to hit the ground running right away. It may take Scourton a little longer to get up to speed as he adjusts to the power of pro offensive linemen.

Either way, these two should have at least a little time to grow and develop before being thrust into starting roles. For now, veterans DJ Wonnum and Patrick Jones II should be projected to start in the absence of Jadeveon Clowney, who they're likely to miss no matter how it goes with their two rookies on the outside.