Carolina Panthers select Georgia OT Monroe Freeling with No. 19 pick in 2026 NFL Draft

AlabamaArizonaBYUGeorgiaGeorgia TechHoustonIndianaIowaJames MadisonMiami (FL)MichiganNorth TexasNotre DameOhio StateOklahomaOle MissOregonTexas A&MTexasTexas TechTulaneUSCUtahVanderbiltVirginiaScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsNewsletterRecruitingOddsPicksBest Portal Classes2026 CFB PredictionsEarly Top 25Transfer QB Rankings2026 NFL Draft Monroe Freeling's stock rose throughout his first season as a full-time starter in 2025. Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images Share article1The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Carolina Panthers made Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling the 19th pick of the first round in the 2026 NFL Draft. Freeling was the fifth offensive tackle taken. Freeling was regarded as one of the highest upside players in the draft, and for good reason: He came into Georgia as a five-star prospect, and lived up to that promise in the final season of his short college career. For most of his first two seasons, Freeling sat behind more experienced players. He became a starter late in the 2024 season, and struggled in the loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, most glaringly getting beat for a game-turning strip sack. But Freeling was almost flawless in 2025, anchoring a young offensive line and protecting quarterback Gunner Stockton’s blind side. There was hope inside Georgia’s program it would get Freeling back for another season, and he also wasn’t clamoring to leave Athens. But his performance made it too compelling a case for him to enter the draft. Freeling ranked No. 17 overall, and as the No. 3 offensive tackle, on Dane Brugler’s big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide: “Freeling is still very young in several areas, but the future looks bright — his athletic toolbox and technical confidence continue to develop with each rep (he’s similar in ways to Kolton Miller as a prospect). Although bumps in the road should be expected, Freeling can secure a starting job as an NFL rookie.” A young, ascending prospect with real work to do, but the future looks bright. What an SEC defensive line coach had to say about Freeling in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft: “He looks like a giant tight end with the way he can move and bend. He’s a very impressive big athlete. He’s still pretty raw and gets off-balance and isn’t great with his hands — at least he wasn’t when we played him — but all the tools seem to be there. He needs to keep getting stronger.” The Panthers are looking to protect themselves after Ikem Ekwonu’s knee injury, and Freeling adds depth and competition right away. This appears as a “best player available” with an eye on the future, which is healthy. I’m not sure he plays right away, but Freeling has long-term potential. Freeling is built like a left tackle with incredible length and great speed. He started 18 games at left tackle the last two years for Georgia. He’s still raw and only 21 years old. Freeling is viewed as a developmental tackle after starting only 18 games at Georgia. He’ll have that time to work into the lineup in Carolina, which signed Raheem Walker to a one-year deal to serve as a stopgap while left tackle Ikem Ekwonu recovers from patellar tendon surgery. Despite his relative inexperience, the 6-foot-7, 325-pound Freeling has excellent length and athleticism. The Panthers continue to use first-round picks on players who could help Bryce Young, with Freeling — the first offensive lineman drafted by GM Dan Morgan — following Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan. As mentioned, the Panthers don’t have to start to Freeling from Day 1. But they certainly could. The Panthers only invested one year and $4 million on Walker, so expect coach Dave Canales to have Freeling and Walker compete for the starting spot opposite right tackle Taylor Moton. But this pick was made with the future in mind. The Panthers still haven’t announced a timeline for Ekwonu, while Moton, who’s entering his age-32 season, has finally started showing signs of wear and tear from years of starting. After Ty Simpson went to the L.A. Rams at 13, it meant that another non-quarterback would fall to the Panthers, who could have gone with a receiver (Makai Lemon, KC Concepcion or Omar Cooper) or safety Dillon Thieneman. Dan Morgan had famously said last week that there’s no rule against drafting a receiver three years in a row, and the team was interested in taking a yards-after-catch speedster like Concepcion or Cooper. But a tackle with Freeling’s upside represented too great a value for Morgan to turn down. I had Freeling coming to the Panthers in my second mock, which was published before free agency. After Morgan signed Walker to the team-friendly deal, I thought there would be less emphasis placed on tackle. I should have stuck to my guns. Freeling has the look of a guy who can hold down a starting tackle spot for a long time. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms