How many games will each Panthers draft pick start? Plus Sam Hecht joins the show
By Alex Zietlow and
Mike Kaye
Will Monroe Freeling be a Week 1 starter for the Carolina Panthers?
What about Lee Hunter?
And if there was a Day 3 player who could surprise as a rookie with early playing time, who might that be?
Mike Kaye and Alex Zietlow answer these questions and much more in the latest podcast episode of Processing Blue, an award-winning show that breaks down everything going on in the world of the Carolina Panthers.
This episode deals pretty much exclusively with the team’s incoming rookie class. That’s all the draft picks — OT Monroe Freeling in Round 1; DT Lee Hunter in Round 2; WR Chris Brazzell in Round 3; CB Will Lee in Round 4; C Sam Hecht and S Zakee Wheatley in Round 5; and then ILB Jackson Kuwatch in Round 7 — as well as some undrafted free agents the Panthers added, too.
The two also interview center Sam Hecht, and the fifth-round draft pick discusses his journey as a walk-on at Kansas State to a highly rated prospect.
Listen to the latest podcast episode at the embed in this story, or download it on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out the show on YouTube.
Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.Support my work with a digital subscription
Mike Kaye writes about the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer. He also co-hosts “Processing Blue: A Panthers Podcast” for The Observer. Kaye’s work in columns/analysis and sports feature writing has been honored by the North Carolina Press Association (NCPA). His reporting has also received recognition from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE).Kaye previously covered the entire NFL for Pro Football Network, the Philadelphia Eagles for NJ Advance Media and the Jacksonville Jaguars for First Coast News. Support my work with a digital subscription
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