Grading the Carolina Panthers selection of Monroe Freeling
The Panthers invested in the trenches when they selected the Georgia tackle.
The Carolina Panthers made Monroe Freeling the 19th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night, a slight surprise considering the team was heavily rumored to be interested in Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman and a variety of receivers.
Freeling, though, is a massive-framed tackle that moves better than almost any offensive lineman in this draft class.
The upside is massive with Freeling (no pun intended). After being used mostly as a swing tackle throughout the first half of his college career, Freeling started 18 games at left tackle over the past two seasons for Georgia.
Freeling had some ups and downs early, and was considered by most to be a mid-round selection throughout the middle of the 2025 college football season. As his year progressed, though, Freeling’s development was on full display.
Throughout the ladder half of the 2025 season, Freeling was playing like one of the premier tackles in all of the sport. His physical tools were started to be based by his technical ability: his fluidity, his foot movement, and his blocking in space.
I mean, just look at these clips:
On the SportCLT Panthers Draft Guide, Monroe Freeling came out to be our No. 1 Panthers target. We are true believers in his talent.
And while I get some may question his year one fit in Carolina, I actually think it’s a pretty natural one.
Freeling should compete with Rasheed Walker (who signed a 1-year, $4M contract in March) to become the starter at left tackle. Freeling should win that battle, and he will be the favorite going into camp.
But what about when Ickey Ekwonu returns from his patellar injury?
Well, I’m going to be honest. It’s not super likely that Ekwonu will be the same player when he returns. According to a study from the University of Missouri, only 21.4% of players who suffer such an injury return to their prior performance level. And I think this investment in Freeling might indicate how Carolina feels about those odds for Ekwonu, unfortunately.
But even if you project Ekwonu to return to his peak form, Taylor Moton isn’t getting any younger. He is a player that the coaching staff has had to give load management practice days to throughout the past two seasons - a circumstance that no other player on the roster is privy to.
The Panthers could save up to $21.5M by moving on from Taylor Moton next offseason. I’m not saying that it’s likely, but it’s another potential long-term reason as to why Freeling makes sense at 19.
There was a not-far-off scenario that Carolina would have needed to remedy both starting tackle spots as soon as next offseason. That is a situation I am confident Dan Morgan wanted to avoid.
My two cents: Freeling was a great pick for both 2026 and beyond. He checks all of the boxes of a first-round offensive tackle prospect and fits into the short and long-term plans of this Carolina Panthers team.
Though I’m higher on Freeling than most (as is the majority of the SportCLT team), I have a really good feeling this pick will age well. Freeling made the most sense of any tackle in the first round for Carolina, and while it’s not as flashy as Makai Lemon or Dillon Thieneman, it’s a professional pick that good teams make all of the time.
He’s a Charleston native, too, which can’t hurt.
Grade: A
