Who is Monroe Freeling? Get to know the Carolina Panthers’ first-round pick
Bryce Young was smiling on Thursday night.
The Carolina Panthers spent their first-round pick of the 2026 NFL Draft on Monroe Freeling, the 6-foot-7, 315-pound offensive tackle out of Georgia who could be Young’s protector for years to come.
And how excited was Young, exactly? He texted general manager Dan Morgan after the pick, Morgan said.
“I think he said, like, ‘Let’s goooo’ with an exclamation point,” Morgan said. The GM added: “I think Bryce is pretty happy.”
The addition bolsters an offensive line that suffered some attrition at the end of last season. It also marks the first offensive tackle the Panthers have taken in the first round of the draft since 2022 — when Carolina selected Ickey Ekwonu with the No. 6 overall selection.
Here are five things you should know about the newest Panther.
Monroe Freeling will be competing to start immediately
You heard him earlier this offseason: Head coach Dave Canales doesn’t view the first round as a time to draft for depth.
To add onto that? The Panthers don’t have much tackle depth as it is.
Carolina won’t have tackle Ikem Ekwonu for a substantial portion of 2026 after he sustained a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee in the team’s playoff contest against the Rams in January. The team also won’t have Yosh Nijman — who suddenly retired from the game in March.
The Panthers did what they could to address the need at tackle in free agency, what with the acquisition of former Green Bay Packers starting LT and self-pronounced “steal” Rasheed Walker as well as Stone Forsyth. But Freeling is primed to compete with Walker, presumably.
Freeling might also be a long-term solution at right tackle, as Morgan noted he can play on both ends of the line. Taylor Moton, the team’s iron-man right tackle, is turning 30 this season and will be a free agent after the 2027 season.
Said Morgan: “Best player on our board.”
A late-blooming college career
Freeling spent three seasons at Georgia and slowly gained experience.
He played in eight games as a reserve in 2023. Then he played in all 14 games (and started five) in 2024. And then he broke out in 2025, starting in 13 of the 14 games he played and earning second-team All-SEC honors.
According to Pro Football Focus, Freeling notched an overall grade of 71.4 in 2025, with a pass blocking grade of 85.6 — 10th in the country. He also accumulated a 61.3 run block grade.
Freeling said he can’t go into any situation without thinking he can try to start, he said: “I’m going to come in to learn, but also to compete.”
Monroe Freeling is from the Carolinas
The Panthers have a tell on Day 1 of the draft. At least recently. They’ll either take someone from the Carolinas or from California.
Think about it: In 2022, the team selected Ekwonu, a Charlotte native who also played for N.C. State. In 2023, they selected Young, a Southern Cal guy. Then, in 2024, it was Xavier Legette out of Mullins, S.C. Then Tetairoa McMillan out of California last year.
In 2026? Freeling — a Mount Pleasant, S.C. native who went to Oceanside Collegiate Academy.
Staying home is a big deal to Freeling, he said.
“It’s kind of incredible,” Freeling said. “I didn’t imagine this, and I’m so happy this is the case. I get to stay three hours from home and get to basically stay at home. I didn’t get to do that because of the college recruiting process.”
Freeling is a hooper — and so is his brother
Freeling isn’t merely a football player. He was a pretty talented basketball player in high school.
And it runs in the family.
Freeling might’ve only averaged 2.3 points and 2.5 rebounds a game at Oceanside, but he was a reportedly formidable defender in the post. He told reporters Thursday that some of his best memories were competing with his brother, who is four years older than him, on the basketball court.
His brother, Tristan, played college basketball at Queens University of Charlotte for two seasons from 2020-22.
He’s blocked for a Panthers running back before
It’s not uncommon for newly drafted players to know some of their new NFL teammates.
But Freeling will be playing alongside someone he’s blocked for before in running back Trevor Etienne, who had a standout year in Georgia in 2024. The two hadn’t connected as of a few minutes after the selection was made, Freeling said, but Freeling was effusive about the prospects of paving rushing lanes for Etienne again.
“He’s a great guy,” Freeling said of Etienne. “I might give him a call here sooner or later just to check in on him. I don’t think I’ve talked to him in a little bit since he left Georgia. So it would be really cool to talk to him and especially block for him again.”
He added: “Because if he would’ve came back another year, who would’ve known?”
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 11:27 PM with the headline "Who is Monroe Freeling? Get to know the Carolina Panthers’ first-round pick."
