The Carolina Panthers might not have wanted to face outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen twice a year. So, they just grabbed him for themselves.
As part of his inside look into the team’s 2025 NFL draft, Darin Gantt of Panthers.com detailed how Umanmielen ended up in Carolina—and not elsewhere in the NFC South. Per Gantt, general manager Dan Morgan and company didn’t want to wait directly behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the 85th overall pick for one of their guys.
He writes:
More calls were made, but sometimes, teams want to make their own picks, too. Mostly, they wanted to move up at least one spot, since their division rival Buccaneers were sitting at 84.
Eventually, they got the Patriots to bite, flipping 85 and 146 for 77, where they were able to land another pass-rusher, Ole Miss outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen.
Umanmielen was the second pass rusher taken by the Panthers on Day 2 of the draft. He joined Texas A&M standout Nic Scourton—who was selected, in another trade-up, at No. 51.
The 23-year-old Umanmielen posted 17.5 sacks over his last two collegiate campaigns. His 10.5 sacks in 2024 helped him earn a first-team All-SEC selection.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, stayed put at No. 84 and took Kansas State cornerback Jacob Parrish.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.