Panthers go big in the NFL draft as they look to build on their NFC South title

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan went big in his third NFL draft.

The Panthers used their first two picks on mammoth linemen who tip the scales at a combined 638 pounds, then added a 6-foot-4 receiver who can stretch the field to beef up the defending NFC South champions' roster.

Morgan, who took wide receivers in the first round the previous two years, selected 6-7, 315-pound offensive tackle Monroe Freeling from Georgia at No. 19 overall, giving the Panthers more options at a position with some question marks.

Freeling could start right away at left tackle with Ickey Ekwonu, the team's No. 6 overall pick in 2022, likely to miss a portion of the season after suffering a torn patellar tendon in Carolina's 31-28 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Panthers added veteran Rasheed Walker as a stopgap in free agency, but it seems unlikely they would keep a first-round pick on the bench for long.

As for the long term, it's unclear what Carolina will do once Ekwonu returns.

Freeling spent the better part of his career at left tackle, but he could move to right tackle as an eventual replacement for Taylor Moton, who has started 145 games. The 31-year-old Moton is under contract through 2027.

Freeling played both positions at Georgia.

Morgan went for more size in the second round, trading up to get 6-3, 318-pound Texas Tech nose tackle Lee Hunter, who projects as a space-eater in the middle of coordinator Ejiro Evero's 3-4 defense.

“We believe in building it up front and winning the line of scrimmage,” Morgan said. “If you can win the line of scrimmage on both sides you have a chance to win every single game. So yeah, that is definitely a point of emphasis.”

In the third round, the Panthers added 6-4 wideout Chris Brazzell II from Tennessee, giving them some big-play potential to go along with 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan (6-5), Jalen Coker (6-3) and Xavier Legette (6-3).

Brazzell ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, and the Panthers envision him as a deep threat for quarterback Bryce Young.

Brazzell grew up in Midland, Texas, but he said the Panthers have been his favorite team since the third grade. He didn't waste a breath rattling off the recent history of players who helped Carolina reach two Super Bowls.

His fandom originated when he played quarterback for a youth team called the Greenville Panthers.

“Cam Newton was my favorite player of all time,” Brazzell said. “I kind of just rolled with it. Blue is my favorite color, so I literally just rolled with the Panthers and I never looked back.”

Brazzell said he was hoping the Panthers would pick him after he met with the coaching staff before the draft at Bank of America Stadium.

The Panthers heard over and over again from Hunter about how he liked to play with a “violent” nature. That resonated with Morgan and coach Dave Canales.

The nose tackle's style of play is one of the reasons Carolina moved up in the second round to get him.

“When you’re an interior defensive lineman, it all starts with violence,” Canales said. “That’s one thing that he kind of characterized himself. What’s your play style? Violence. And repeatedly said violence. Just the way that he’s disruptive and explosive at the line of scrimmage.”

One of the funnier moments during the Panthers' draft process came after Freeling's introductory news conference on Friday, which his entire family attended.

Freeling stands about five inches taller than his three brothers, and that has led to family tales about how he got so big.

“We like to say he had a twin in the womb, and he ate him,” joked his brother, Grayson Freeling. “That’s just what we say. Because, I mean, look at me, I’m the youngest and the shortest. I got the short end of the stick, literally. ... But no, he’s an anomaly. He’s a freak athlete. And he’s the hardest worker I know.”

Morgan traded down twice on Saturday before he eventually selected Texas A&M cornerback Will Lee III late in the fourth round.

Those moves allowed Carolina to pick up two extra late-round picks.

The Panthers closed out the draft by checking off a few areas of need, adding Kansas State center Sam Hecht and Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley in the fifth round. Morgan, who played linebacker at Miami before being drafted by Carolina, closed out the draft by taking Hurricanes linebacker Jackson Kuwatch in the seventh round.

Morgan said the players drafted in later rounds will likely need to carve out a niche on special teams to make the 53-man roster.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Monroe Freeling, selected in the first round of the NFL football draft by the Carolina Panthers, takes part in a welcome ceremony, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Monroe Freeling, selected in the first round of the NFL football draft by the Carolina Panthers, takes part in a welcome ceremony, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Carolina Panthers first-round draft pick Monroe Freeling holds up his jersey during an NFL football news conference, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Carolina Panthers first-round draft pick Monroe Freeling speaks during an NFL football news conference, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Monroe Freeling, selected in the first round of the NFL football draft by the Carolina Panthers, takes part in a welcome ceremony, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Islamic militants and separatists said they attacked several locations in Mali 's capital, Bamako, and other cities on Saturday in one of the largest coordinated attacks in the West African country in recent years. The government gave no death toll but said that 16 people were wounded in the attacks.

Mali has previously faced insurgencies fought by militants affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist rebellion in the country's north.

Most of the details of the unfolding attacks on Saturday came from local residents, who spoke to The Associated Press over the phone.

The al-Qaida-linked militant group JNIM claimed responsibility for the attacks on Bamako's international airport and four other cities in central and northern Mali. The claim, posted on its website Azallaq, said the attacks were carried out jointly with the Azawad Liberation Front, a Tuareg-led separatist group.

The Malian army said in a statement that “unidentified armed terrorist groups targeted certain locations and barracks” in Bamako and that soldiers were “engaged in eliminating the attackers.”

Another statement later said the situation was under control.

An Associated Press journalist in Bamako heard sustained heavy and automatic weapons gunfire from the direction of Modibo Keïta International Airport, around 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the city center. A helicopter flew over nearby neighborhoods. The airport is adjacent to an air base used by Mali's air force. A resident living near the airport also reported gunfire and three helicopters overhead.

The U.S. Embassy in Bamako issued a security alert citing reports of explosions and gunfire near Kati and the international airport, and urged U.S. citizens to shelter in place and avoid travel there.

Mali’s government spokesperson Gen. Issa Ousmane Coulibaly, said on state television late Saturday that 16 people were wounded, including civilians and military personnel, and that several militants were killed. He did not provide a death toll.

The governor of Bamako's district, Abdoulaye Coulibaly, announced a three-day overnight curfew, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

A resident of Kati, a town near Bamako that is home to Mali’s main military base, said he was woken by the sound of gunfire and explosions.

Gen. Assimi Goita, the leader of Mali’s military junta, resides in Kati. The residence of Mali’s defense minister, Sadio Camara, was heavily damaged by an explosion during the attack, a nearby shopkeeper told the AP.

The residents spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Videos on social media showed militant convoys in trucks and motorcycles moving through Kati's deserted streets, while residents looked on fearfully. Residents of Sevare and Mopti, two towns in central Mali, also reported attacks by gunmen.

Other videos — from the northern towns of Kidal and Gao — showed gunfire exchanges in the streets, with dead bodies lying on the ground.

Insurgents entered Kidal, taking control of some neighborhoods and leading to exchanges of fire with the army, a former mayor of the town told the AP by phone, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety.

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the separatist Azawad movement, said in a post on Facebook that its forces had taken control of Kidal as well as some areas in Gao, another northeastern city.

The AP could not independently verify the claim. Azawad separatists have been fighting for years to create an independent state in northern Mali.

Kidal had long served as a stronghold of the separatist rebellion before being taken by Malian government forces and Russian mercenaries in 2023. Its capture marked a significant symbolic victory for the junta and its Russian allies.

A resident of Gao, the largest city in northern Mali, said gunfire and explosions started in the early hours of Saturday and were still heard later in the morning.

“The force of the explosions is making the doors and windows of my house shake. I’m scared out of my wits,” the resident said by phone, speaking on condition of anonymity because of concerns for his safety. The resident said the gunfire came from the army camp and the airport, which are right next to each other.

Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said the assault seems to be the largest coordinated attack in years in Mali.

“It’s especially concerning that JNIM apparently has been coordinating today’s attacks with Tuareg rebels, “Laessing said. Jihadis and Tuareg rebels teamed up before, in 2012, he added.

At the time they jointly overran northern Mali, ”sparking the region's security crisis,” Laessing said.

Along with Mali, neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso have also been battling al-Qaida and ID affiliates.

Following military coups, the juntas in the three countries turned from Western allies to Russia for help combating Islamic militants. But the security situation has worsened in recent times, analysts say, with a record number of attacks by militants. Government forces have also been accused of killing civilians they suspect of collaborating with militants.

In 2024, an al-Qaida-linked group claimed an attack on Bamako’s airport and a military training camp in the capital, killing scores of people.

An ariel view of Bamako, Mali, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo)