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OT Monroe Freeling comments on his role with Panthers as a rookie
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- OT Monroe Freeling comments on his role with Panthers as a rookie
Offensive linemen never generate as much excitement as many other positions in the NFL can. So it's somewhat difficult for Carolina Panthers fans to get completely amped up about first-round pick Monroe Freeling.
The outlook gets even more uncertain seeing as though the 21-year-old rookie doesn't even have a defined role as of yet.
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Even if usual starting left tackle Ickey Ekwonu ends up missing the entire season due to his knee injury , the Panthers already have a ready-made replacement in veteran Rasheed Walker. On the right side, Taylor Moton may be aging, but he's still very much on top of his game entering Year No. 10 .
Freeling may end up having to settle for a spot on the bench, at least to start the campaign. But he wouldn't be so sure of that, per Joe Person of The Athletic :
"I can't go in without the mentality to not start," Freeling said the night of the draft. "I'm going to go in there, I'm going to want to give it my (all). But I want to go in there, and I want to start."
You'll probably hear some analysts say that a rookie should be happy with whatever role best suits the team. Freeling's mentality is better, though—and our first indication that he's more than just a freakish athlete for his size. He's a gamer.
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Be that as it may, Freeling may end up in a similar role as his sophomore year at Georgia.
"My sophomore year I was primarily a swing tackle... I was getting in every third series, just kind of switching in the middle of a series. It didn't really matter. I was getting good experience. I probably have like 300 snaps at right tackle, 1,600 at left. Definitely a big difference, but I'm comfortable wherever."
As promising as his attitude is, the fact is Freeling only really fits as a tackle and the Panthers are already loaded (and bloated salary cap-wise) at guard, anyway. NFL teams tend not to swap tackles mid-possession the way Georgia did, either.
Until he proves he's a better option to start, our best guess is that Freeling will end up on the sidelines when Week 1 comes around. But do not expect him to stay there long—no matter how healthy Moton, Ekwonu or Walker are.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: NFL draft: Panthers OT Monroe Freeling determined to start right away
