For the second straight year, the Carolina Panthers confounded everyone’s expectations for what they would do in the first round of the NFL draft.
Last year, they were expected to take Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker at No. 8 overall. Instead, they went with Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan—a decision that certainly paid off.
This time around, the pick was supposed to be Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. But instead, Carolina scooped up Georgia left tackle Monroe Freeling with this year’s 19th overall selection.
While it’s not a popular choice with casual fans, Freeling is a freaky athlete for his size—with a near-perfect Relative Athletic Score. Draft analysts have generally loved the pick, including Field Yates at ESPN—who tabbed the hog molly as one of his favorite picks from the first round:
Freeling was the No. 11 player on my final board as he has the upside to become the best pass protector from this class. He has only one season of starting experience and needs to add more core strength, but Carolina affords him an ideal landing spot. With Rasheed Walker signed this offseason, Freeling has a chance to grow into a starting role at left tackle. In a year or two, this pick could look shrewd.
Freeling (6-foot-7, 315 pounds) is already a high-level pass protector, earning an 85.6 grade from Pro Football Focus last season. That mark ranked in the top 10 out of 632 offensive tackles in the nation.
Freeling’s run blocking (61.3) will need some work, but he has more than enough size and power to eventually grow into an excellent blocker in this department.
The only real question is where Freeling will end up once he cracks into the starting lineup. For now, the most logical spot seems to be left tackle—where Ickey Ekwonu’s knee injury has put his future into doubt. Freeling may also end up replacing Taylor Moton at right tackle when he eventually retires.
Either way, Freeling has all the tools he needs to not only succeed at the next level, but thrive.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Panthers’ Monroe Freeling named ESPN favorite