The Carolina Panthers selected Monroe Freeling with the 19th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
One NFL analyst has given the Carolina Panthers a "C" for drafting Monroe Freeling.
The Panthers took Monroe with the 19th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
"The Carolina Panthers are preparing for their future at offensive tackle," Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report wrote. "Freeling could step in at left tackle while Ikem Ekwonu continues to rehab from the patellar tear he suffered in this year's postseason. But the Panthers did bring in veteran Rasheed Walker to fill that potential void.
"This year's 19th overall pick could eventually replace Ekwonu if the team doesn't believe he's the long-term answer on their blind side, or flip to the strong side and take over for Taylor Moton when the soon-to-be 32-year-old right tackle is no longer a viable option. In either case, the Panthers aren't a better team this year because of this selection."
Freeling is one of the most athletic prospects in this class. He ran a 4.93-second 40 with a 33.5-inch vertical at the combine, and has the long arms (34 3/4 inches) teams covet in their tackles.
A native of Charleston, S.C., Freeling started the last two seasons at left tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs.
"I didn't imagine this, and I'm so happy that this is the case," Freeling said. "I get to stay up 3 hours from home. I think Detroit was still on the clock, and I got a call, and I was like, hold on, let me pick this up, and they're like, 'Hey, this is the Carolina Panthers.' I was like, 'No way. There's just no way.'
"It was surreal, and it's still surreal, and I don't even know if it's set in quite yet that I'm staying home and I'm only a three-hour drive from home, and it's closer than I was in Athens, so it's still not really setting in yet. But I imagine that in the next 24 hours, maybe even the next week, it's going to really hit me that I'm here and I'm blocking for a former teammate of mine, and it's everything I've ever wanted."
Freeling's job is to protect QB Bryce Young and create running lanes for Trevor Etienne. Freeling and Etienne were teammates in college.
"I mean, knowing him as who he was at Georgia, I mean, he's a great guy," Freeling said of Etienne. "Having known how good a guy as he is, and how special a football player he is, it just makes it even more like a—I got to do my job for him.
"So I'm going to go out there and give it my all for him, I'm going to go out and give it for Bryce Young, I'm going to do it all for the Panthers. I'm a team player."
The Panthers won the NFC South last season. They lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round of the 2026 playoffs.