By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer870 words
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan focused on size in his third NFL draft. The Panthers used their first two picks on linemen who weigh more than 300 pounds, including 6-foot-7 offensive tackle Monroe Freeling from Georgia. Freeling’s selection addressed the absence of Ickey Ekwonu, who is likely to miss part of the season. In the second round, the Panthers traded up to pick 6-3 nose tackle Lee Hunter from Texas Tech. Morgan added 6-4 wide receiver Chris Brazzell II from Tennessee in the third round. The defending NFC South champions added four players on the final day of the draft after trading down twice in the fourth round.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — 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.
Growing up in Texas as a Panthers fan
Brazzell grew up in Midland, Texas, but he said the Panthers have been his favorite team since the third grade. He didn’t waste a breath rattling off the recent history of players who helped Carolina reach two Super Bowls.
His fandom originated when he played quarterback for a youth team called the Greenville Panthers.
“Cam Newton was my favorite player of all time,” Brazzell said. “I kind of just rolled with it. Blue is my favorite color, so I literally just rolled with the Panthers and I never looked back.”
Brazzell said he was hoping the Panthers would pick him after he met with the coaching staff before the draft at Bank of America Stadium.
Hunter brings ‘violence’ to the Panthers
The Panthers heard over and over again from Hunter about how he liked to play with a “violent” nature. That resonated with Morgan and coach Dave Canales.
The nose tackle’s style of play is one of the reasons Carolina moved up in the second round to get him.
“When you’re an interior defensive lineman, it all starts with violence,” Canales said. “That’s one thing that he kind of characterized himself. What’s your play style? Violence. And repeatedly said violence. Just the way that he’s disruptive and explosive at the line of scrimmage.”
The big man ate his twin?
One of the funnier moments during the Panthers’ draft process came after Freeling’s introductory news conference on Friday, which his entire family attended.
Freeling stands about five inches taller than his three brothers, and that has led to family tales about how he got so big.
“We like to say he had a twin in the womb, and he ate him,” joked his brother, Grayson Freeling. “That’s just what we say. Because, I mean, look at me, I’m the youngest and the shortest. I got the short end of the stick, literally. … But no, he’s an anomaly. He’s a freak athlete. And he’s the hardest worker I know.”
Panthers stockpile picks on final day
Morgan traded down twice on Saturday before he eventually selected Texas A&M cornerback Will Lee III late in the fourth round.
Those moves allowed Carolina to pick up two extra late-round picks.
The Panthers closed out the draft by checking off a few areas of need, adding Kansas State center Sam Hecht and Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley in the fifth round. Morgan, who played linebacker at Miami before being drafted by Carolina, closed out the draft by taking Hurricanes linebacker Jackson Kuwatch in the seventh round.
Morgan said the players drafted in later rounds will likely need to carve out a niche on special teams to make the 53-man roster.