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

Former NC State defensive back Brandon Cisse, who finished his college career at South Carolina, was taken by the Green Bay Packers in the second round on Friday night.

The Packers, who didn't have a first-round pick, chose Cisse at No. 52 overall. This marked the latest that Green Bay has ever made its opening pick in a draft.

Gutekunst said at a pre-draft news conference Tuesday that cornerback was probably the position where "we're going to need to add the most numbers." Green Bay lacked proven cornerbacks beyond the tandem of Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine.

Cisse is eager to show he's ready to help out. His emotional reaction to the announcement of his name was caught on camera during the draft telecast.

"It's special," Cisse said. "I saw the area code, and I saw Green Bay Packers, and it's like a moment come true. Just really can't put it into words."

Cisse said his girlfriend's family members are big Packers fans from Wisconsin, giving him plenty of familiarity with his new team.

"Just a historic tradition," Cisse said. "Cheesehead, Go Pack Go, just a very loud stadium, Lambeau Field."

Although Cisse's college numbers don't jump off the page, the Packers believe he has plenty of qualities that should translate to the NFL.

Cisse spent last season at South Carolina after playing two years at NC State. The 6-footer totaled 10 pass breakups and two interceptions in three college seasons.

Packers national scout Mike Owen said he lives about 35 minutes from South Carolina's campus and spent plenty of time with Cisse.

"When you go there, they spoke highly of him in the weight room, at practice," Owen said. "Smart kid, always watching a ton of football. Every time I went there, he was in the recruiting office watching the NFL, college or high school. That's what I love about the kid. He really loves football at the end of the day."

Cisse's love for football was evident from the trip he took to watch last season's NFC championship game at Seattle in person. He hopes to eventually be playing in a game with similarly high stakes.

"It's something that you really strive for," Cisse said. "So I look forward to it and being able to get in that kind of environment."

- The Associated Press contributed.

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.