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The Carolina Panthers have selected Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Monroe Freeling in the NFL Draft

The Carolina Panthers have selected Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Monroe Freeling with the No. 19 pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Freeling spent three seasons in college with the Bulldogs. During that time, he would see action in 35 games, including 17 in which that he started. There are players with more experience, but there is also a lot of upside that the Panthers are banking on there. That’s upside he showed off in 2025, being named a Second-Team All-SEC selection.

Perhaps more importantly, the Panthers now have another tackle to protect Bryce Young. This is seen as a major season for the former first overall pick, and he’ll now have another key lineman in place to keep him upright.

The Carolina Panthers Want to Build on 2025’s Success

2026 is going to be the third season for the Carolina Panthers under head coach Dave Canales. It’s also going to be a season with high expectations, after the Panthers won the NFC South and went to the playoffs a year ago. It was their first division win since 2015 and their first trip to the playoffs since 2017.

Of course, that division win came in a weird season for the NFC South. The Panthers, at 8-9, still had a losing record. So, finding a way to improve to a winning record for the first time since that 2017 playoff appearance is also going to be very important.

A key to that continued improvement is going to be the continued development of quarterback Bryce Young. 2026 is widely regarded as a massive year for the former first overall pick. With plenty of time now in Canales’ offense and an improving group of weapons around him, the time to live up to his potential is now.