Thirty teams did not make the Super Bowl. To no one’s surprise, the Carolina Panthers were one of them. Something the front office will be looking to rectify sooner rather than later.
Assessment events heading into the 2025 NFL Draft are in full swing. The Senior Bowl is where most of the top upperclassmen and now some underclassmen meet for a week of drills and scrimmages culminating into the game. It was a rousing success — the best week of the year for scouting, good on good, putting guys in uncomfortable positions, and one of the first times teams get to meet with players.
I was there for it all. Here are three edge players the Panthers met with that could be remarkably interesting targets.
Edge prospects generating Senior Bowl buzz for the Carolina Panthers
Donovan Ezeiruaku
Donovan Ezeiruaku exploded this year for 16.5 sacks, bringing his career total to 28. He is now second all-time in career sacks in Boston College history and first in single-season production.
The big question he had was Ezeiruaku's stoutness versus the run and if he had power in his pass rush bag. At the Senior Bowl, he showed that, so much so that he left after two days of practice.
His anchor was robust against the run. Ezeiruaku showed great speed to power lining up across from some of the best offensive tackles in the draft. That silenced his doubters emphatically.
I spoke with Ezeiruaku after the second day of practice and media day just before he left. He met with Carolina and said he would love to play here. He loves the city of Charlotte.
The vibe was the meeting went well. That is important to note since most of the Panthers' draft picks met with the brass multiple times during the pre-draft process.
Ezeiruaku would be an enthralling addition with the pass-rushing arsenal and athleticism he brings to the table. He said the best part of his game is how well he studies tackles and can pinpoint weaknesses to win when it's game time.
Princely Umanmielen
Princely Umanmielen is the prototype at the defensive end for the days of futures past. Standing at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, and nearly 82-inch wingspan, the Ole Miss prospect is a fascinating player.
You would think with his size, Umanmielen would be a power player with limited speed and movement abilities. Yet he has some of the best bend and hip fluidity in this class.
He is very strong versus the run, consistently blowing plays up at the Senior Bowl practices and during the game. The production also matches in his last two years with the Rebels, accumulating 17.5 sacks in the SEC.
When I spoke with him at the Senior Bowl, he likened his game after Von Miller. Something I could see with how fast he is and how he uses his bend to win around the edge.
The anchor in the run, size, explosiveness, and bend all nudge me to memories of Jadeveon Clowney coming out of South Carolina with more polish. Umanmielen also mentioned to me that he met with Carolina and when asked if he would welcome Charlotte as his new home, he answered with an emphatic “Hell Yeah.”
Josaiah Stewart
Josaiah Stewart is the outlier of the bunch. He is a much smaller edge defender at 6-foot-0, 246 pounds, and 32-inch arms. The Michigan prospect is the opposite of the measurements for recent edge draft picks for the Panthers.
Stewart's elite explosiveness and unique natural leverage advantage make him a lot to handle off the edge. He tallied 30 sacks in his four-year career between Coastal Carolina and Michigan, showing that he is more than capable of producing at his size.
Although Stewart is a great pass rusher, the caution comes with his ability versus the run in the NFL. He did okay at the Senior Bowl, showing the trademark Wolverines' effort and technique. But it's still a potential red flag that could hurt his stock.
I also met with Stewart. We talked about what he does at his size against the longer-armed tackles. He mentioned the most important piece is keeping tackles' hands off him to make plays in the pass and the run.
When asked about meeting with Carolina, Stewart said he loved the discussion and is intrigued by the possibility of joining the Panthers. The prospect even mentioned how he can be the highly anticipated Brian Burns replacement here.
Stewart, just like the other two mentioned, seemed elated with the thought of potentially playing in Carolina.