Hunter’s size immediately stood out
Lee Hunter is a mountain in the middle of the defensive line. He clocks in at 6-3, 318 pounds, and shadows over offensive linemen. The first time Caden McCloughan, the Panthers Southwest scout, met Hunter in person, he started dreaming of what could be in Carolina.
“I’ll tell you what, when you see Lee, the first thing that stands out is just how big he is,” McCloughan said Saturday.
“I mean, he’s a massive human being and, yeah, I mean, you get up on him, and it’s hard not to think about what that would look like next to Derrick Brown and Bobby Brown III.”
When scouts visit schools, they often already have a good idea of what a player shows on tape. Meeting face-to-face provides an opportunity to get to know the person. As McCloughan spent more time with Hunter, the person became just as important to the Panthers as the player.
“The more you get to watch him and then be around him, talk to people in the school—I had a lot of chances to interact with him and others that were close to him and just, I remember being excited after every one of those, just how people talked about him, how great of a guy he is, how much energy he brings, just a guy that truly loves football,” shared McCloughan.
“It’s hard to find guys that look like that physically, but then at the same time, have the makeup that he does, just being a great teammate, showing up to work, excited every day, caring about others.”