Round 2: The Carolina Panthers select DT Lee Hunter (Texas Tech)

[TD alt]

2 hours ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Like the player, dont get the trade up.

 

This isnt a sexy draft but a draft this franchise needed.

 

Morgan obviously didn't want to get Howie Rosemanned, that's the simplest and truest reason for the trade-up. It's not at all hard to understand.

[electro's horse]

1 hour ago, jb2288 said:

You’re underplaying how atrocious a program Auburn has been the past 5 years. Absolute dumpster fire there, they hired John Cohen who is the worst AD in the SEC by a mile and doesn’t understand the current NIL age and therefore it is being run by the boosters 

Yeah auburn is in the toilet. I don’t mind him leaving there so much as going to Orlando to play for the 2024 version of Gus Malzahn.

when malzahn left UCF, if it was really about the (offensive) coach he could have followed him to Florida state and played actual competition. Instead he stayed in the big 12 and I could not care less about what he did in that schedule against that caliber of offensive lineman.

I didn’t follow the draft this year, I’m too busy with work and buying a new house, and I don’t follow big 12 football as a rule. Maybe he jumped off the charts with the scouts and coaches. But the only requirement to play offensive line in the big 12 is being able to get back onto your feet quickly and block for two seconds and do it 60 times a game. 

Edited Saturday at 03:25 PM by electro's horse

[chbright]

9 minutes ago, electro's horse said:

 But the only requirement to play offensive line in the big 12 is being able to get back onto your feet quickly and block for two seconds and do it 60 times a game. 

Yeah 2025 big 12 football isn't the 2019 or the old 90s 3 yards in a cloud of dust anymore. They got pillaged and the scraps of the big 12, pac-10 and mid majors remain. 

[electro's horse]

10 minutes ago, chbright said:

Yeah 2025 big 12 football isn't the 2019 or the old 90s 3 yards in a cloud of dust anymore. They got pillaged and the scraps of the big 12, pac-10 and mid majors remain. 

A physically large defensive tackle who dominated against physically inferior opponents?

Congrats we’ve got another Vernon butler. Ceiling is a rotational DT for the bills. 

[rebelrouser]

He had five tackles for loss against Oregon in the CFP.   But...

 

Quote

His 21.5-inch vertical is a red flag. It was the worst vertical posted by a defensive tackle by more than 5 inches. He also tied for the worst broad jump posted by a defensive tackle. 

TheRinger

[ok2h8pep]

4 hours ago, electro's horse said:

Congrats we’ve got another Vernon butler. Ceiling is a rotational DT for the bills. 

Man that's scary.  If you look at the NFL page for draft prospects you would still take Vernon over Lee.

[Hugo]

This pick is very underrated for two reasons:

1- Lee Hunter is a pure nost tackle, and a very good one. He eats double team, which means more opprtunity for Derrick Brown, Jaelen Philips ans Nic Scourton to get after the QB

2- It allows us to cut Bobby Brown before the 2027 season and save 8M in cap space. 

[rmoneyg35]

Am I not the only one impressed with the fact he had the second most pressures of any DT since 2023?

 

I understand these picks aren’t sexy as you can’t just look at a box score and see everything a linemen does but I think this guy might end up being a good player for us.

[mrcompletely11]

2 hours ago, rmoneyg35 said:

 see everything a linemen does but I think this guy might end up being a good player for us.

Lining up beside Brown is going to let this dude wreck fools, I like this pick more than getting a safety or LB in the 2nd.  Hunter is going to make the dline better just by taking up space

[ECHornet]

On 4/25/2026 at 1:43 AM, electro's horse said:

Hunter left auburn for ucf because he didn’t make the roster his freshman season and didn’t like the head coach. 

he left UCF for Texas tech because he didn’t like the coaches at UCF, and NIL money.

thats ominous. 

If you’re turning down guys who transferred due to NIL money, you’re not going to have many to choose from. 

[Soul Rebel]

6 hours ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Lining up beside Brown is going to let this dude wreck fools, I like this pick more than getting a safety or LB in the 2nd.  Hunter is going to make the dline better just by taking up space

Agreed.

Biggest knock I've heard about his mechanics is pad level. Let's hope Wash can do his thing here with improving this technique.

Some former IDL he has experience with are Alim McNeil, Marcell Dareus, Malik Jackson and Chris Hovan.

[RJK]

On 4/25/2026 at 1:05 PM, rebelrouser said:

He had five tackles for loss against Oregon in the CFP.   But...

 

TheRinger

He’s not an explosive athlete. He carries his weight above the waist instead of his legs and ass. Maybe an NFL training program can focus on his lower body