Monroe Freeling introduces himself to Panthers fans with a bang

Many Carolina Panthers fans may not be too amped up about their team's first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. How excited can you really get for an offensive lineman who may not even start come Week 1?

But Monroe Freeling is more than just a depth pick. A far superior athlete compared to left tackle Ickey Ekwonu and right tackle Taylor Moton, Freeling should find himself a role on the field as a rookie—even if it's not replacing one of the established starters right away.

And once Panthers fans get to know the 21-year-old Charleston native, we have a feeling they are going to love him.

Here's how Freeling introduced himself to the Carolina faithful outside of Bank of America Stadium on Friday . . .

You certainly don't need to sell general manager Dan Morgan or head coach Dave Canales on the pick. Canales seemed rather content with how the decision played.

"The way it played out, he came right to us," Canales stated during his chat with reporters last night. "And this was a guy that we really valued, and for us, of course, our philosophy is always let's challenge our roster. Let's challenge every room with great players. And to get an opportunity to have a guy like this with athletic ability, the length, size, and all that, it's just, it's incredible."

Morgan doubled down on that sentiment.

"We're really excited about Monroe," he said. "Best player on our board, big, long, athletic, physical, a guy with high upside that we're extremely excited about. Adding him to our room, you know, I think he can play left side, he can play right side, brings a lot of value to us."

Morgan also told reporters that the Panthers may not done adding to their offensive line. They will also need to find a long-term answer at center, so expect another trench pick before the selection process is completed.