Well, it's probably safe to say that Monroe Freeling is pretty excited to be the newest member of the Carolina Panthers.
On Thursday night, the Panthers selected the University of Georgia offensive tackle with the 19th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. Despite the arrows reportedly pointing towards a safety such as Oregon's Dillon Thieneman or a wide receiver like Texas A&M's KC Concepcion, Carolina went for a big investment in their offensive trench.
And based off his reaction after hearing his name called, Freeling is rather happy with that decision . . .
How we're Freeling rnNFL Draft on NFLN/ESPN/ABCStream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/xE7ZOGijiF
Freeling, a Charleston, S.C. native, played all three of his college seasons for the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-7, 315-pounder made 13 starts at left tackle in 2025, where he was named a second-team All-SEC selection.
While he may not step right in as the starter on the Panthers' blindside, a spot that is likely to feature free-agent signee Rasheed Walker come Week 1, Freeling should have an exciting future ahead in Carolina.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Monroe Freeling goes nuts when finds out he was drafted by Panthers