NFL Draft 2026: Tracking draft picks; Panthers take Tennessee receiver in third round

The Carolina Panthers selected Lee Hunter, a nose tackle from Texas Tech, with their first pick of the second round on Friday.

The Panthers moved up to 17th, the 49th overall pick to take the 6-4, 318-pound Hunter.

In the trade, Carolina sent the 19th pick(51st overall) and a fifth-round pick (159th overall) to the Minnesota Vikings. The Panthers also received a sixth-round pick (196th overall).

Barring another trade, the Panthers won't pick again until later in round 3.

NC State tight end Justin Joly could be the first player from a Triangle school to hear his name called Friday night as Day 2 of the NFL Draft gets underway.

At a watch party in Cary, Joly spoke with ABC11 about the excitement, the work it took to get here, and who he'll be thinking about when his name is finally called.

Watch the full interview below.

N.C. State tight end Justin Joly, projected as a second or third round pick, spoke to ABC11 at a watch party in Cary.

The second and third rounds are tonight, beginning at 7 p.m. on ABC11.

The Carolina Panthers selected offensive tackle Monroe Freeling from Georgia with the 19th overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, adding stability for a position in flux.

Now the question is where to play him?

The 6-foot-7, 315-pound Freeling started 18 games over three seasons for the Bulldogs, including all 13 at left tackle in 2025. But Freeling, who is considered a powerful run-blocker and adept at pass protection with 34-inch arms, also played at right tackle earlier in his career at Georgia and said he would feel comfortable playing either spot.

Carolina's starting left tackle, Ickey Ekwonu - a 2022 first-round draft pick - is expected to miss most of this season after suffering a torn patellar tendon in the team's 31-28 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Panthers signed free agent Rasheed Walker to a one-year deal as a short-term replacement.

On the other side, Taylor Moton has been a mainstay at right tackle, starting 145 games. But he is 31 years old, and it's unclear just how much longer he will play.

"We're going to figure all that out," Panthers coach Dave Canales said when asked where he plans to play Freeling this season. "Right now, we just got to get him in here, talk to him, get him on the field. Most of our (offensive tackles) end up playing both sides throughout camp. That's just kind of the way we do it. It gives us flexibility. ... But it's too early to tell."

Freeling isn't viewing this as a redshirt year with the Panthers.

He's here to start right away.

"I can't go in without the mentality that I'm starting," said Freeling, who grew up near Charleston, South Carolina. "I want to go in there and start. But I'm also going to go in there and try to get my teammates better, too. And I think they can get me better as a rookie. I'm excited to learn, but I'm also excited to compete."

The 21-year-old Freeling joked that he's been "tossed onto the offensive line" ever since he was young because he was bigger than most of the kids his age. And while he was known as a good basketball player as a teenager, he chose to stick it out as an offensive lineman, a position he grew to love.

Freeling said he plans to bring high energy to the Panthers, just as he did at Georgia.

"Not every little kid wants to play offensive line," Freeling said. "But if you don't grow a love for it, you're not going to make it. I have a love for dominating the man in front of me and making it fun and playing with other offensive linemen."

The Panthers are coming off a season where they finished 8-9 in the regular season but still managed to win the NFC South, snapping a seven-year playoff drought.

General manager Dan Morgan - a former inside linebacker - selected an offensive player in the first round for the third straight year. He took wide receivers in his first two drafts, with Xavier Legette in 2024 and reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan in the 2025 draft.

Morgan said he felt entering this offseason the team needed to get bigger, stronger and deeper up front.

The Panthers went heavy on defense in free agency, signing edge rusher Jaelan Phillips to a four-year, $120 million contract and Pro Bowl linebacker Devin Lloyd to a three-year, $45 million contract.

That allowed them to pivot to the offensive line in the draft.

"More than anything, we want to keep both our fronts strong," Morgan said. "To add a big, long, talented tackle here in the first round, it just keeps our offensive line strong. To add somebody with the talent that Monroe has, it was just too good to pass up."

Morgan added the Panthers might not be done upgrading the lines with two days left in the draft.

- The Associated Press contributed.

A year after Shedeur Sanders' stunning fall from first-round hopeful to late-round draft pick, another perplexing passer was all the buzz at the NFL draft Thursday night.

With the 13th overall pick, the Los Angeles Rams selected undersized and inexperienced quarterback Ty Simpson out of Alabama to serve an apprenticeship under NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.

Simpson's selection was the biggest shocker on the draft's opening night in Pittsburgh, but there were a few others that also pushed value into the top of the second round Friday night, when the San Francisco 49ers own the first pick.

Rams general manager Les Snead made a first-round pick for only the second time in the past decade - and he turned in a surprise by taking Simpson, who wasn't considered a first-round talent on most draft boards.

Simpson was a starter for only one season with the Crimson Tide, passing for 3,567 yards and leading them to the Rose Bowl after three seasons as a backup.

Other players who went higher than many anticipated included Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller to Detroit at No. 17, Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge to Houston at 26 and Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods to the Chiefs at 29.

Two University of Tennessee cornerbacks are among the prime prospects expected to go early in the second round: Colton Hood, who also played at Auburn and Colorado; and Jermod McCoy, who missed the 2025 season with a torn ACL.

Others who could hear their names called early in Round 2 include:

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
A high-energy defensive back, McNeil-Warren is a tall (almost 6-foot-4, 201 pounds), long safety who makes big hits his hallmark. He's just as aggressive tackling ballcarriers as he is in hitting wide receivers. He forced eight fumbles in four seasons at Toledo.

Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
Hill has exceptional speed (low 4.4 in the 40) for his size (6-foot-3, 238 pounds). He works around blockers with quickness and an elite change of direction, and he sports impressive closing speed. He collected 17 sacks and forced eight fumbles in three years in Austin.

Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M
The SEC Defensive Player of the Year had 11 1/2 sacks and 14 tackles for loss last season. He's undersized for a pass rusher but has proven he gets to the quarterback and finishes. He has the burst to knife through the line and disrupt things behind the line of scrimmage.

Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
Terrell is an athletic, if undersized (5-foot-11, 180 pounds), cornerback with great quickness and instincts. An active and willing tackler and an outstanding blitzer, his NFL future is almost certainly at nickel as he's most effective in underneath zone coverage.

Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
Boston is strong, fast and has elite ball skills. At 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds, he's a big target lining up both outside and in the slot. He boasts strength and a long stride and can wall off defenders at any level downfield. He scored 20 TDs over the last two seasons.

Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
McDonald was expected to join Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles as Buckeyes defenders going in the first round. He's a natural run defender who'll clog the middle of the line. At 6-foot-3 and 326 pounds, he has excellent size and strength for the position.

- The Associated Press contributed