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Carolina Panthers 2026 Draft Class: Rookie Impact
Jul 3, 2026Ryan McCrystalSharp Football Analysis
Getting things ready
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Chris Brazzell
WR · CAR · #general
...raft-300x232.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Chris Brazzell" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" /> The foll...
Bryce Young
QB · CAR · #general
...ear of experience under his belt, it’s unlikely Carolina elects to protect Bryce Young with an unprepared rookie. Lee Hunter (second round) has a clearer...
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The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2026 Football Preview . In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps, as well as draft class analysis from Ryan McCrystal. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2026 Football Preview . Every team is excited about their incoming class of rookies, but how will those new players affect each team in 2026? Let's look at the Carolina Panthers, breaking down the most likely instant-impact rookies from their class while also providing some insight into why certain early picks may not see the field. Carolina Panthers 2026 Draft Class: Which Rookies Will Make an Impact? The selection of Monroe Freeling (first round) made sense from both a need and value perspective, but it is odd to see a team hoping to turn the corner and build off last year’s playoff appearance select someone unlikely to start immediately. Freeling is a developmental left tackle prospect and will likely replace Ikem Ekwonu in that role in 2027. In the short term, however, Ekwonu is expected to remain at left tackle (when healthy) with Rasheed Walker keeping the seat warm if Ekwonu isn’t ready for Week 1. Freeling will certainly compete with Walker for the job, but with only one full year of experience under his belt, it’s unlikely Carolina elects to protect Bryce Young with an unprepared rookie. Lee Hunter (second round) has a clearer path to the field given the underwhelming performance of Carolina’s interior defensive line. Hunter is built like a nose tackle and is capable of filling that role, but he’s more productive as a pass rusher than the typical space-eating nose tackle. Hunter lined up as Texas Tech’s nose tackle 38% of the time in 2025, but he generated a strong 8.7% pressure rate when at other spots on the interior line. His versatility will be valuable to Ejiro Evero’s multiple-front scheme. The selection of Chris Brazzell II (third round) falls into the same category as Freeling. It was a need, and the value was right, but he probably won’t make a significant impact as a rookie. Brazzell spent the last two years in Josh Heupel’s veer-and-shoot spread offense at Tennessee. In that scheme, receivers are tasked with learning only a handful of vertical and option routes in order to speed up the offense. Brazzell has the traits to develop into a well-rounded receiver, but as a rookie, expect his usage to be fairly limited 一 though he’ll likely produce a few big plays down the field. Will Lee III (fourth round) is an enigma of a prospect but definitely has the raw talent of a potential starter at cornerback. After starting his career in the JUCO ranks, he had a breakout year in 2023 at Kansas State before transferring to Texas A&M. Despite being surrounded by significantly more talent with the Aggies, his production fell off a cliff and never recovered. Expect Lee to provide depth in the short term as the Panthers try to develop his technique to make him more consistent. Sam Hecht (fifth round) was viewed as a potential Day 2 selection entering the draft due to his ability to start immediately at center. He will compete with free-agent addition Luke Fortner for the starting job. The downside to selecting Hecht is his lack of size and experience at guard, which might mean he can only play center. It’s tough to carry a center-only backup on the roster, but since Fortner is on a cheap one-year contract and Carolina d…