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First round picks need to be Day 1 starters unless you’re loaded and Super Bowl ready. I am not saying he won’t develop into a great LT but we need immediate impact players.

He’ll be starting at some point this season. There’s no depth behind either tackle position and injuries are bound to happen. He’s prob the most athletic OL on the roster.

Not only a good pick, but good on Dan Morgan and company to do what they did during free agency to allow for a pick like this. He will def play this season he is not a bum. After that he should be a starter. Now I would load up on defense.

The roster was devoid of talent. That's what happens.

We have five more picks right now. Tomorrow needs to be on point. Hopefully it will fall our way again. I knew, or expected, that we would have a good selection of players available to us at 19. I don’t know about that at 51.

I think the Panthers have one of the best group of Oline coaches in the NFL, so I think it's more likely than not that he reaches his ceiling in Carolina. Which means I think they drafted a 10+ year starting probowl LT at 19th overall. Pretty good deal if you ask me. I said it in one of these threads, great pick for the 2027-2028 Panthers and beyond.

If he ends up being a probowl LT for 10 years but doesn't start this year... It's a wasted pick????

On the bright side of it, his inexperience could be ensuring they don’t have as much for him to do unlearn as they might with an older more experienced guy. But yeah the big picture is would you punt a year if you believed you could get ten quality seasons of LT? Most people would I think.

I don't think it's wasted even if he doesn't. If he never lived up to his potential, sure, but this wasn't a pick for this year.

I'd be happy with McNeil-Warren if we somehow could in round 2. Dude is an absolute thumper.

He better beat out Walker in camp or this is a wasted pick

It sounds like I hate the pick but I don't, he just doesn't help this year's team much. If the staff can fix the technique issues, you've got a 10+ year probowl LT. Which immediately makes this a good pick because at 19 in the first, the gamble is 100% worth it.

Ok I understand from your point of view now. Which is not bad and I understand that angle, plus we still have the remainder of the draft, I’m really playing devils advocate, I have no problem with freeling as a player and the $ he could save. but if you asked me the one position the panthers could upgrade to repeat as division champs, ot is low, especially with the walker signing, but i can’t knock them for being extra careful and sure, but I’ll be playing close attention to lemon and Dillion’s journey.

A raw, inexperienced LT with day 2 caliber film is no guarantee he's going to be a franchise LT. We tried going for the home run when we should've gone for the double instead. (Thinemen, KC, Lemon, McDonald, Rodriguez)

Adding insult to literal injury, they were extending him. Long term we dodged a bullet, but for this year you have to think the plan was signing bonus, low annual salary for 2026, get some cap room back from that 17.5 million. Nah, you pay the 17.5, and for nothing.

I doubt Ikem plays this year at all. That said, for Freeling to start and play well means the oline staff needs a raise, medals, and statues outside the stadium.

Gotta hurt #Panthers to be paying Ikem Ekwonu $17.56M in 2026 in cash and cap. Mature decision to select Monroe Freeling even after signing Rasheed Walker. Fixed Left Tackle for a decade. Reminds me of when Titans took Taylor Lewan in ‘14 despite having Michael Roos and David Stewart under contract. Pro Bowl Left Tackles don’t grow on https://x.com/nfldraftbites/status/2047521508872901089?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

Well Ickey could easily miss the start of the season or more and if he is able to come back he could start with Freeling. Packers guy’s contract is fine for a swing tackle and good insurance if Ickey doesn’t come back this year, which is very possible

Lmao the only inferior team they were ever knocked out by was the Rags. Panthers and Lightning won cups, when we lost to Boston they were the top team in the east. We’d kill for the Panthers to make the playoffs and win at least one game every year for 7 straight years. Canes are an incredible franchise right now

That's absolutely terrifying if you play behind that line if he sees the field for anything besides being an extra lineman on goal line rushes 5-6 times a game. His technique is awful, his combine drills were worse than dreadful... but he's got the tools to be a 10-12 year probowl LT if they sit him and help fix the technique issues.

Well I am behind the decision, but really liked Lemon’s game. I think we need that element or dimension in the offense. But really, I was a trade down and still get OT guy. Not trading down might cost us tomorrow. I needed T to be covered, but I badly wanted ILB. Rodriguez, or Golday preferably. That may not happen now.

With the number of OL combinations we went through last year....and nearly every year it only makes sense.

They are still in the same spot injury wise. Well, they hope they are at least. He's a great pick for the 2027-2028 Panthers team but not so much so for the 2026-2027 team. Even those that like the pick, admit it's a punt for the upcoming season as he's not likely to make a difference this season.

When a 6'7 mountain of a man can't start as a freshman or a sophomore, that's a red flag. Usually there's a reason why.. He played at UGA.. You can argue that their coaching and nutrition program is better than most NFL programs. His technique is a mess. He lunges way too much. Not overly physical. Had a 62 run blocking score vs college competition..His strength is pass blocking, but how often were pass rushers allowed to pin their ears back against that UGA run-heavy offense?? What elite pass rusher did he ever face? His reps vs Kendrick Faulk were underwhelming. It's on YouTube. He had only 113 "true pass blocking" reps, which exclude quick screens and throws under 2 seconds. He was 30th in the nation. But even in those 113 reps, the defender had to be aware of the run much more than they usually would since they were playing UGA. He was hidden by UGA's offense. The more I think about it, I'll be surprised if this kid ever starts a complete 17-game season for us. He has so much to overcome.