There is no greater gap between the college level of a sport and the pros than there is in football. That's why so many promising rookies struggle in their first year in the league—as the learning curve is steep, with many needing as much help as they can get.
Right or wrong, the Carolina Panthers seem to believe in letting first-round pick Monroe Freeling figure things out on his own. According to Mike Kaye at ESPN, he's blocking one-on-one at a 75-percent rate as the team's starting right tackle this preseason.
Here's Kaye's analysis on Freeling's work from the summer:
Freeling has been thrust into the starting lineup due to two notable absences, with longtime starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu (knee/PUP) and right tackle Taylor Moton (blood clot/NFI)
expected to miss a chunk of the season. Freeling, who has been at right tackle all summer, will serve as a bookend to veteran left tackle Rasheed Walker in the meantime. Freeling allowed two pressures in 12 pass-blocking snaps during his first two preseason games, but he has received little help on that side, with a 75% one-on-one rate, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Freeling has had some rough moments, especially in this week's joint practice with the Houston Texans. (But who amongst us doesn't have a rough moment with Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson hunting us down?)
If and when you see Freeling getting beaten on a rep during the regular season, keep in mind that he's playing a relatively new position—having played the vast majority of his time at Georgia at left tackle. 1,102 of his 1,369 offensive snaps with the Bulldogs came on the blindside, while 287 were recorded on the right.
Freeling's first regular-season challenge will be a serious one. In Week 1, he'll be lining up across from standout defensive end Montez Sweat, who led the Chicago Bears with 10.0 sacks in 2025.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers showing faith in rookie OT thrust into starting role
