{"id":867978,"date":"2026-04-16T22:12:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T22:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/867978\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T22:12:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T22:12:29","slug":"2026-nfl-draft-panthers-may-draft-for-need-scouting-three-top-ol-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/867978\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 NFL Draft: Panthers may draft for need, scouting three top OL prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Ikem Ekwonu injured and Taylor Moton aging, the Carolina Panthers<\/a> could inject a top offensive line prospect into the organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ekwonu, a fifth-year left tackle on the verge of negotiating a multi-year contract extension, suffered a ruptured patellar tendon<\/a> during the first half of the NFC Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams<\/a> on Jan. 10. The recovering blind-side protector of franchise quarterback Bryce Young is expected to miss at least the first half of the 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n

Moton earned an 80.6 overall PFF grade last season, finishing No. 15 among 89 qualified offensive linemen. The Panthers’ 2017 No. 64 overall draft pick helped maintain positional unity for an injury-riddled unit last season. But how much more can the franchise expect from the 31-year-old ironman<\/a>, who is signed through 2027?<\/p>\n

Will free-agent signee Rasheed Walker claim Ekwonu’s position and place himself in line for a multi-year contract next offseason? The former Green Bay Packers<\/a> starter agreed to a prove-it, one-year deal with the Panthers.<\/p>\n

General manager Dan Morgan<\/a> on Tuesday detailed some of his preparations for the 2026 NFL Draft, which kicks off April 24 in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

Drafting an early-round tackle likely remains high on Morgan’s to-do list.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Are Panthers focused on drafting top LT?<\/p>\n

Here are three tackle prospects Morgan could consider with his first-round pick, assuming he stays at No. 19 and doesn’t swing another draft-day deal:<\/p>\n

Utah tackle Spencer Fano<\/p>\n

Fano looks like a bona-fid franchise left tackle prospect. He possesses quick feet and loose hips. His athleticism is projected to match the off-the-ball speed of edge rushers and should be able to handle his own on downfield blocks. The three-year starter at Utah earned time at both tackle spots.<\/p>\n

Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling<\/p>\n

With Moton and Walker set to start in 2026, Freeling could be afforded a “redshirt” season to adjust to the league via a rotational role. Projecting to develop into a top pass blocker with added strength, Freeling combines athleticism with power. Long-term, he could develop into the draft class’s top tackle.<\/p>\n

Miami tackle Francis Mauigoa<\/p>\n

The three-year starter could be out of Morgan’s reach, especially with the offensive linemen-needy Detroit Lions<\/a> lurking at No. 17, but the six-foot-six, 330-pounder could prove to be a future building block, able to play at various spots. Morgan probably doesn’t expect Mauigoa to make it to No. 19, though.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With Ikem Ekwonu injured and Taylor Moton aging, the Carolina Panthers could inject a top offensive line prospect…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":867979,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2075],"tags":[235,260,2567,7,6,236],"class_list":{"0":"post-867978","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-carolina-panthers","8":"tag-carolina","9":"tag-carolina-panthers","10":"tag-carolinapanthers","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-panthers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116416685299113618","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=867978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/867979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=867978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=867978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=867978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}