Panthers go big in the NFL draft as they look to build on their NFC South title

CHARLOTTE — Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan went big in his third NFL draft.

The Panthers used their first two picks on mammoth linemen who tip the scales at a combined 638 pounds, then added a 6-foot-4 receiver who can stretch the field to beef up the defending NFC South champions’ roster.

Morgan, who took wide receivers in the first round the previous two years, selected 6-7, 315-pound offensive tackle Monroe Freeling from Georgia at No. 19 overall, giving the Panthers more options at a position with some question marks.

Freeling could start right away at left tackle with Ickey Ekwonu, the team’s No. 6 overall pick in 2022, likely to miss a portion of the season after suffering a torn patellar tendon in Carolina’s 31-28 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Panthers added veteran Rasheed Walker as a stopgap in free agency, but it seems unlikely they would keep a first-round pick on the bench for long.

As for the long term, it’s unclear what Carolina will do once Ekwonu returns.

Freeling spent the better part of his career at left tackle, but he could move to right tackle as an eventual replacement for Taylor Moton, who has started 145 games. The 31-year-old Moton is under contract through 2027.

Freeling played both positions at Georgia.

Morgan went for more size in the second round, trading up to get 6-3, 318-pound Texas Tech nose tackle Lee Hunter, who projects as a space-eater in the middle of coordinator Ejiro Evero’s 3-4 defense.

“We believe in building it up front and winning the line of scrimmage,” Morgan said. “If you can win the line of scrimmage on both sides you have a chance to win every single game. So yeah, that is definitely a point of emphasis.”

In the third round, the Panthers added 6-4 wideout Chris Brazzell II from Tennessee, giving them some big-play potential to go along with 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan (6-5), Jalen Coker (6-3) and Xavier Legette (6-3).

Brazzell ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, and the Panthers envision him as a deep threat for quarterback Bryce Young.

©2026 Cox Media Group