Overview
- Carolina selected Monroe Freeling with the 19th pick Thursday night, adding a 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle from Georgia.
- General manager Dan Morgan called Freeling the best player on their board, and coaches said he will compete for a role without an immediate starting assignment.
- The move addresses a volatile tackle picture with Ikem Ekwonu recovering from a torn patellar tendon, Rasheed Walker on a one-year deal at left tackle, and veteran Taylor Moton entering his age-32 season on the right.
- Freeling brings elite testing numbers with a 4.93-second 40-yard dash, a 33.5-inch vertical, and 34-plus inch arms, after starting 13 games in 2025 and earning second-team All-SEC honors.
- Freeling, a Mount Pleasant, South Carolina native, said staying close to home feels like a dream, and reporting projects his four-year rookie deal at about $20.9 million fully guaranteed.