The Carolina Panthers had no choice but to lean heavily on their rookie class last season. And that worked out well for them, as they got serious contributions from nearly every draft pick en route to an NFC South title.
While they haven't had to put as heavy a load on their first-year players here in 2026, a few have managed to stand out anyway—especially on defense.
Dane Brugler at The Athletic has put together an early NFL All-Rookie team, and three Panthers defenders made the cut. He starts with with second-round pick Lee Hunter, who is penciled in at defensive tackle along with his college teammate in Skyler Gil-Howard.
Brugler writes:
Is this the defensive tackle All-Rookie group or last year’s Texas Tech depth chart? Both Gill-Howard and
Hunter were instrumental in leading the Red Raiders to last year’s Big 12 championship, and both are off to hot starts in the NFL. Gill-Howard leads all rookie interior linemen with 11 pressures and has given the Lions extra juice on passing downs. Hunter is more of a run stuffer and has used his sheer size and brute strength to muddy the middle of the line.
Carolina also had another interior defensive lineman make the list, with undrafted rookie Aaron Hall getting named to Brugler's second team:
Hall, a lesser-known prospect out of Duke who is making a name for himself, is up to double-digit tackles and looks like he belongs.
Hall is tied for the fifth-most pressures (seven) on the Carolina defense. He's also amassed four stops.
Lastly, fourth-round pick Will Lee III made the list as a second-team cornerback:
With Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson injured, Lee has stepped up (four pass breakups and zero touchdowns allowed).
By our eyeball test, Lee has been the team's most impressive rookie so far—and he'll need to continue playing well with both Jackson and Horn out.
It's been a slower start for first-round pick Monroe Freeling, who's been in and out of the lineup recently with minor injuries. He was replaced by Stone Forsythe in Sunday's 32-26 win after suffering a knee injury.
Head coach Dave Canales told reporters on Monday that he's hopeful Freeling could return in Week 6 against the Philadephia Eagles, along with edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: 3 Panthers named to early all-rookie team
