The Carolina Panthers have grown with conviction. It is a keyword that is positively toxic across the organization since head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan were hired.
Since January 2024, the Panthers have worked hard to rebuild the roster from scratch, asking for patience from their fans in the process, hoping to one day build a formidable contender in the NFC. After making the playoffs in just the second campaign of the regime, Carolina's ambition bled into free agency with the big signings of edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd.
However, it was the 2026 NFL Draft that displayed the conviction Morgan, Canales, and Brandt Tilis have had for the last two years, especially when it came to making their first-round pick.
Carolina Panthers had their sights set on Monroe Freeling all along
There was a time throughout the pre-draft process I viewed Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling as the first player at his position to be selected this spring. There were very few true left tackles available in the first round this offseason, and the Panthers were well aware of this.
As the first round trickled down, Tilis explained on Panthers Blueprint, the team's All-Access inside look at their draft process, that getting Freeling would've been like signing Phillips as their top edge rusher in free agency.
"Monroe being available at 19 is really kind of like Jaelan Phillips being available to us in free agency. Is there a path [to get him]? Yeah, we can see the path. Is it likely? It wasn't particularly likely. We knew a really good player would be there [between Rueben Bain Jr., Kaydn Proctor, and Freeling]. Who it was going to be, we didn't know."
From early in the evaluation process to draft night, it was clear within the organization that Freeling, a 6-foot-7 edge force with exceptional athleticism, movement skills, and pass protection ability, was their guy. It wasn't tight end Kenyon Sadiq, safety Dillon Thieneman, or any other fan-favorite. Canales alluded more to that during the Blueprint episode.
"We didn't know if we were going to have a chance to draft him at that spot, but we knew if he made it there, we would. And as Monroe continued to fall to us, we needed a couple of things to happen before us."
Ultimately, Freeling fell to the Panthers at No. 19 to become their long-term solution at left tackle.
That statement is meant to be the start of a larger discussion for another day, but I appreciate the candor and intent throughout the process from Morgan, Tilis, Canales, and VP of football analytics Eric Eager. When you have a steadfast belief in one prospect, it tends to show.
Panthers fans will appreciate what went into their team's selection of Freeling. He isn't a flashy player like a Sadiq or Thieneman would have been, but the team didn't care.
Attacking the trenches was a priority, and the organization accomplished its mission.
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