By Harry P McGill ยท July 18, 2026
Carolina brings a seven player draft class into camp, along with a collection of undrafted rookies trying to steal jobs from men who already have them. Some of these players are expected to contribute immediately. Others will spend the next several weeks trying to become indispensable on special teams.
Here is a refresher on the names Panthers fans need to watch.
Freeling arrives with the largest expectations in the class because that is what happens when a team spends the 19th overall pick on you.
The 6 foot 7, 315 pound tackle started 13 games at left tackle for Georgia last season and earned second team All SEC honors. Carolina did not draft him as a decorative piece for the offensive line room.
The immediate question is where he fits.
Ikem Ekwonu is working back from a serious knee injury, Taylor Moton remains established on the right side, and the Panthers have added veteran tackle depth. Freeling should receive meaningful work early, even if the eventual plan remains unsettled.
Watch his footwork against speed rushers. Big tackles often look wonderful until an NFL edge player forces them to move sideways in a hurry. If Freeling holds up there, the Panthers may have found a long term answer at one of football's most expensive positions.
Hunter may be the rookie most physically prepared to help immediately.
Carolina traded up to select the 318 pound defensive tackle with the 49th pick. He joins a front built around Derrick Brown and gives the Panthers another large body capable of making life miserable between the tackles.
Run defense will be the first test.
Hunter does not need to become a star in August. He needs to prove he can hold his ground, occupy blockers, and earn rotational snaps without the defense falling apart around him.
Interior linemen rarely become training camp celebrities because stopping a two yard run does not send the crowd into hysterics. Coaches notice it, though, and coaches control the depth chart.
Brazzell will probably produce the most breathless camp reports.
That is the nature of being a 6 foot 4 receiver in practice. One contested catch against a reserve cornerback and somebody will have him headed for Canton before lunch.
The third round pick enters a crowded receiver room behind Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, and Xavier Legette. He does not have to win a starting job immediately, but he does need to show he can earn snaps.
Watch how well he separates against press coverage and whether he contributes on special teams. Size will get him noticed. Route detail and versatility will get him dressed on Sundays.
There is a real opportunity here because Carolina needs another dependable target behind McMillan and Coker. Brazzell has the frame. Camp will tell us how quickly the rest of his game is coming along.
Fourth round cornerbacks generally enter camp with one instruction.
Find a role.
Lee will compete for reserve snaps behind Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, but his quickest path onto the field may come through special teams and subpackage work.
Cornerback is a cruel position during camp. One bad rep is remembered longer than four good ones, especially when a receiver catches the ball in front of a crowd.
Watch Lee's response after giving up a play. Young corners are going to get beaten. The important ones line up again without carrying the previous snap into the next one.
Hecht may walk into the most genuine competition of the rookie class.
The fifth round pick from Kansas State has an opportunity to push for work at center, where Carolina needs stability and depth. Luke Fortner brings NFL experience, but the job should not be treated as settled before camp begins.
Centers are judged on more than blocking. They identify fronts, communicate protections, and make sure everybody else is pointed in the correct direction.
Watch how quickly Bryce Young becomes comfortable with Hecht. Quarterbacks tend to reveal their trust in a center long before coaches announce anything publicly.
Wheatley enters a safety room with Tre'von Moehrig, Nick Scott, and Lathan Ransom ahead of him.
That means special teams will matter.
The fifth round pick has the size and college production to develop into a defensive contributor, but rookies drafted in this range usually earn their first game day jersey by covering kicks and punts.
Watch whether Wheatley plays fast without looking reckless. Young safeties can make a fine mess of things when their confidence moves quicker than their eyes.
Kuwatch was selected in the seventh round with special teams very much in mind.
That gives him a clear assignment.
He must run, tackle, and become useful enough that special teams coordinator Tracy Smith starts asking the front office to keep him.
Seventh round picks do not get many ceremonial snaps. Kuwatch will be competing with established reserves who already know how to cover kicks and survive an NFL season.
Watch the special teams periods. That is where his roster argument will be made.
King became more interesting the moment Will Grier retired.
The undrafted quarterback from Georgia Tech now has a clearer path to preseason work behind Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett. Carolina also has an extra preseason game because of its Hall of Fame Game appearance, which means more snaps need to be distributed.
King is still fighting for a developmental role rather than the backup job. His goal is to show enough command of the offense to earn a place on the practice squad.
Watch his decision making when the first read disappears. Athletic quarterbacks can survive college by creating chaos. NFL coaches prefer the fellow who knows when chaos is a terrible idea.
Prentice is one of the more intriguing undrafted players because speed always earns a second look.
The problem is numbers.
Carolina has McMillan, Coker, Legette, Brazzell, John Metchie III, David Moore, Jimmy Horn Jr., and several other receivers competing for perhaps six roster spots.
Prentice must become more than a fast player. He needs to make himself useful as a returner, coverage player, or offensive specialist.
Every camp has one receiver who catches everyone's attention for a week. The real trick is still being discussed when the roster gets cut.
Jaylon Guilbeau, Cam Miller, and Devonta Smith enter a crowded cornerback competition with very little margin for error.
None of them will receive the benefit of a high draft pick. That can be cruel, but it also makes the assignment simple.
Make plays.
Special teams will again be the deciding factor. A reserve defensive back who cannot cover kicks is a luxury most teams cannot afford.
Keep an eye on Miller in particular. Rutgers defensive backs tend to arrive accustomed to physical football, and that usually plays well once the pads come on.
Isaia Glass may be the undrafted player I watch most closely.
Offensive tackle depth is never secure, especially with Ekwonu returning from injury. Glass enters camp behind several players, but tackles have a way of becoming valuable the moment somebody limps off the practice field.
He does not need to win a starting job. He needs to show enough developmental promise that Carolina becomes nervous about exposing him to the waiver wire.
That is how undrafted rookies stick around.
It reminds me of those old Sears toolboxes that came with one wrench nobody thought they needed. Six months later, it was the only one that fit the bolt.
Rookies report before the veterans because they need the extra time.
They must learn where to stand, how to practice, and what coaches mean when they use language that sounded perfectly clear in a meeting room.
The first few days will not decide careers.
They will establish who looks prepared.
Freeling and Hunter should push for immediate roles. Brazzell has a chance to join the receiver rotation. Hecht could make the center competition interesting. Lee, Wheatley, and Kuwatch must prove their value on special teams.
The undrafted players face a tougher road, but every Panthers fan should know by now that draft status does not remain sacred forever. Jalen Coker walked into this league without hearing his name called and turned himself into a major part of the offense.
Tuesday is not really about rookies arriving at a building.
It is the moment possibility starts becoming evidence.
We know what these players did in college. We know where they were drafted. We know what the Panthers hope they can become.
Now we get to watch whether any of it survives contact with an NFL training camp.
That is the enjoyable part.
By the time Fan Fest arrives, one rookie will be ahead of schedule, another will be struggling, and an undrafted player nobody discussed in May will have fans studying the bottom of the depth chart.
Training camp always introduces somebody.
On Tuesday, the introductions begin.