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.