Lee Hunter plays with ‘violence.’ He’ll run through a brick wall for Carolina Panthers
In his first phone call with local media last week, Lee Hunter was asked about what it meant for the Carolina Panthers to trade up in the second round of the NFL Draft to get him.
The nose tackle out of Texas Tech smiled.
“They came and got me,” Lee said. “They showed love and interest.”
And what will the Panthers get in return?
“I’m ready to run through a f------ brick wall for them.”
It was the kind of moment late on Friday night that you couldn’t forget. It got fans riled up in the best way. It’s a quote that can age quite well, particularly if Hunter — a 6-foot-3, 318-pound nose tackle — can be the brick wall he has committed to running through.
It’s also revealing to the type of person general manager Dan Morgan, head coach Dave Canales and other evaluators within the building saw in Hunter the more they got to know the prospect.
In other words, Hunter is a passionate dude.
“When you see Lee, the first thing that stands out is just how big he is,” said southwest area scout Caden McCloughan. “He’s a massive human being when you get up on him. It’s hard not to think about what that would look like next to Derrick Brown and Bobby Brown III. So that’s the first thing about him.
“But the more you get to watch him, and then be around him, talk to people at the school … I remember being excited after every one of those. Just based on how people talked about him. How great of a guy he is. How much energy he brings. It’s just a guy who truly loves football.”
Lee Hunter and playing football with ‘violence’
Ask around, and that seems to be a universal feeling. It’s tough to walk away from an interaction with Hunter and not hear his passion.
It’s kind of like you can’t help but watch him and have another word come to mind.
Violence.
“When you’re an interior defensive lineman, it all starts with violence,” Morgan said of Hunter. “That’s one thing that he kind of characterized himself. What’s your play style? Violence. And repeatedly said violence. Just (evaluate) the way that he’s disruptive and explosive at the line of scrimmage, and then we’ll figure out the pieces from there.
“We have a really good group in there. Versatile guys that we can use in different ways.”
The 23-year-old Mobile, Alabama, native is joining a unit that got a lot better from 2024 to 2025. Some of that can be traced to the fact that Derrick Brown, one of the best defensive linemen in the game, was healthy all year after missing nearly all of 2024. Some of that, too, can be attributed to the investment the front office made in the group last March — with the drafting of Cam Jackson, the signing of Bobby Brown (who came on strong at the end of last season) and the 6-foot-1, 280-pound Turk Wharton (whose injuries limited him most of 2025).
The Panthers allowed 122.9 rush yards a game. That was 21st in the league a season ago — which, compared to being dead last in 2024, is a massive improvement.
This defensive line will still look a bit different, however. A’Shawn Robinson, one of the group’s most prolific starters a year ago, was released in March, a move that saved $10.5 million against the salary cap.
Expect Hunter to make an impact immediately — even if he doesn’t technically get the “start.”
“The way that we play our D-line, like, there aren’t really starters,” Morgan said. “We’re rotating a bunch. So he’s just going to be in that rotation. He can play nose (tackle). He can play a little (defensive end) in the 3-4. So he brings a lot of versatility.”
One example of his versatility
One player who knows about Lee’s versatility? Sam Hecht, the Panthers’ fifth-round draft pick.
The center out of Kansas State played Texas Tech last season, and Hunter notched a tackle for loss that game. That made an impression on Hecht.
It wasn’t that such stats were uncharacteristic of Hunter: The Red Raiders’ defensive tackle finished 2025 with 10.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, Hunter finished the year with an 80.9 overall grade and an 84.5 rush defensive grade; both are Top 20 among all interior defensive linemen in the FBS last year.
It was the rest of Hunter’s game.
“I mean, Lee’s a phenomenal player,” Hecht told The Charlotte Observer on its Processing Blue podcast earlier this week. “I got the chance to play with him at the Senior Bowl also. So he was on my team. But going against him in practices, and then obviously playing him in the season, he’s phenomenal.
“Plugging the hole in the run game. Dude’s a tank. And then also, not a lot of people who can plug the hole can have a good pass rush. … Overall great guy, and fantastic player.”
Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly said something similar about Hunter on a recent NFL talk show. His ability as a run stopper prevents the Panthers from having to play Derrick Brown out of position.
Also, if Hunter’s track record is any indication, he will make his teammates better. Take Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey and TTU linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, for example.
“Those guys would not have had the success that they did without having a really good inside guy,” Kuechly said.
Hunter, in so many words, is hopeful he’ll be able to do something similar for the Panthers.
He seems willing to do anything.
Like, say, run through a brick wall.
