Panthers' Monroe Freeling named amongst ESPN's favorite 1st-round picks

For the second straight year, the Carolina Panthers confounded everyone's expectations for what they would do in the first round of the NFL draft.

Last year, they were expected to take Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker at No. 8 overall. Instead, they went with Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan—a decision that certainly paid off.

This time around, the pick was supposed to be Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. But instead, Carolina scooped up Georgia left tackle Monroe Freeling with this year's 19th overall selection.

While it's not a popular choice with casual fans, Freeling is a freaky athlete for his size—with a near-perfect Relative Athletic Score. Draft analysts have generally loved the pick, including Field Yates at ESPN—who tabbed the hog molly as one of his favorite picks from the first round:

Freeling was the No. 11 player on my final board as he has the upside to become the best pass protector from this class. He has only one season of starting experience and needs to add more core strength, but Carolina affords him an ideal landing spot. With  signed this offseason, Freeling has a chance to grow into a starting role at left tackle. In a year or two, this pick could look shrewd.