It's been a rollercoaster season for the Carolina Panthers through the opening 10 games of the campaign. Although there has been abundant criticism following a disastrous loss to the New Orleans Saints, the team is making decent progress overall.
The Panthers are 5-5. They remain in the NFC South championship race, although that could change with a defeat versus the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11. Things are hanging by a thread, but it's hard to argue that general manager Dan Morgan's youth movement isn't having a positive impact on their long-term trajectory.
However, not everyone is getting glowing reviews. This came courtesy of an NFL analyst, who placed one of Carolina's 2025 draft class under the microscope after a frustrating start to his professional journey.
Carolina Panthers haven't seen much from Princely Umanmielen, but this was a long-term investment
Josh Edwards from CBS Sports named Princely Umanmielen as Carolina's most disappointing rookie so far. The analyst highlighted his lofty pre-draft projection and low pressure rate as reasons why he hasn't lived up to his billing so far.
"[Princely] Umanmielen had once been included in first-round projections. For a Panthers team that desperately needed pass rush help, Umanmielen has been absent. He has eight pressures and 9% pressure rate on the year, according to TruMedia."Josh Edwards
Umanmielen was always going to be a work in progress. The Panthers traded up to secure his services at No. 77 overall, even though they believed he would go much higher. His pass-rushing explosiveness was worth the risk, but he was far from the total package coming into the league.
The former Ole Miss star struggles to have a similar impact against the run. Umanmielen cannot set clean edges, and it's clear that fellow Day 2 pick Nic Scourton is further ahead right now. It's still early days regarding his development, but some nagging injuries haven't exactly helped his cause either.
Size matters in the NFL. Umanmielen is lacking in that department right now, so adding more muscle mass and core strength will only help his cause. It's been underwhelming so far; there's no getting away from that. But the Panthers viewed the edge rusher as a long-term investment.
If Umanmielen came on quicker than expected, that would be a bonus. But his rookie growing pains don't detract from the overall objective: molding the first-year pro into a capable performer who can help the Panthers in the coming years.
Umanmielen is nothing more than a situational pass-rusher right now, which is fine. For him to become something more over time, he must become a more well-rounded player capable of impacting proceedings on a three-down basis.
The immediate influence isn't there, but that doesn't change anything.