March 5, 2026, 11:55 a.m. ET
Has a new favorite for this year’s 19th overall pick emerged?
Two of the top Carolina Panthers beat reporters, Joe Person of The Athletic and Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, cooked up fresh mock drafts for Thursday. And both, with some uncertainty surrounding starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, lead off their projections by taking University of Georgia offensive lineman Monroe Freeling with Carolina’s first-round selection.
Kaye writes:
If Ekwonu fails to come back in 2026 or doesn’t live up to his typical acumen, the Panthers could move on from the former first-round pick. So, they’d then need a left tackle of the future.
And even if Ekwonu were to return ahead of expectations and perform well, the team would still need a future right tackle to take the place of [Taylor] Moton down the road.
Person concurs:
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Freeling started only one full season at Georgia and is still developing. The Panthers could also sign a veteran such as Yosh Nijman to replace injured Ikem Ekwonu and help Freeling get ready to take over. The question is whether Freeling will be available at 19.
But at least one NFC talent personnel executive thinks Freeling could fall to the Panthers.
Ekwonu, who is entering his fifth-year option in 2026, ruptured his patellar tendon in the team’s wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams in January. While optimistic about the former sixth overall pick’s progress, general manager Dan Morgan has not yet been able to provide a timeline for a return.
Freeling could be an insurance policy for Ekwonu or even Moton, who 32 years old in August. The 6-foot-7, 315-pounder may be the best true left tackle prospect in the 2026 class, and might give the Panthers a chance to address a premium position at relatively low cost.
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