The NFL’s version of spring football commences in Charlotte on Tuesday when the Carolina Panthers’ full squad returns to the practice fields for the first time since January.Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd, the team’s high-profile defensive acquisitions, will command attention, as will quarterback Bryce Young. But one of the more intriguing storylines of the spring — and summer and fall — will be the development of rookie offensive tackle Monroe Freeling.The Panthers took Freeling with the 19th pick, a decision that has both short- and long-term ramifications. With starter Ikem Ekwonu recovering from patellar tendon surgery, Freeling will compete for the left tackle spot with veteran Rasheed Walker, who signed a one-year deal in March.But the Panthers also drafted Freeling with an eye on the future. Freeling won’t turn 22 until late July and arrived in Charlotte after starting only 17 games at Georgia. Still, Freeling’s upside is hard to miss.“To be that big, long and athletic and young — it was something that we weren’t sure if he was going to be there (at 19),” general manager Dan Morgan said. “We thought he might get taken a little sooner. So when he was there, it was an easy pick for us.”As Freeling prepares to test himself against Phillips and the Panthers’ other edge rushers, The Athletic takes a closer look at his skill set and analyzes three plays from his junior season that illustrate his athleticism and potential, along with his room for growth.The Freeling scouting reportAthletically, Freeling is a unicorn. If we were to ask a 12-year-old to create an offensive tackle from scratch via an Xbox, the player would look like Monroe Freeling.He’s 6-foot-7, 315 pounds. His arm length (34 3/4 inches) and hand size (103/4) are elite. He ran a 4.93 40 at the combine before jumping 33 1/2 inches in the vertical. His father, Mike, grew up in South Africa playing rugby and is now a doctor. His mother, Brandy, grew up playing basketball before becoming a certified yoga instructor — something Monroe and his brothers have been doing since childhood.So not only is Freeling big and powerful, he’s incredibly nimble and plays with some of the best body control for a player his size you’ll ever see. Purely from a physical standpoint, his NFL comp might be Eagles legend Lane Johnson. Freeling was 240 pounds in high school (he also played hoops) and still moves like it at nearly 320.“You look at a guy that’s 6-7, has 34-inch arms and huge hands. He’s just an athlete out there. An athlete that can pass protect,” Morgan said. “He can mirror, run block, get to the second level. He can move the line of scrimmage. He just does so many things well that excited us.”There is a catch, though. Freeling is still a young player who only started one full year in college. He got away with some bad habits in pass protection that will cause trouble in the NFL, and his general feel as a run blocker is still developing. Athletically, he’s good enough to compete for a starting job (and earn one) right now. Can he be consistent enough to keep it, though?Work required in the run gameThis is a great example of everything Freeling is as a run blocker. Georgia runs a quarterback sweep toward Freeling — who is the lead puller on the play. Everything about the first two seconds of this rep is near perfect.Note how smooth and explosive Freeling is out of his stance on this pull. He turns the corner with his knees bent, his eyes up and his hands loaded. Freeling’s speed is more than enough to get a great angle on the inside linebacker he’s responsible for sealing off. If you freeze this just before the two-second mark, you see Freeling in position to absolutely level this linebacker.Unfortunately for Freeling, the rest of the play exists. Everything after the first two seconds is a mess. The linebacker begins to dive inside of Freeling’s pull, and he doesn’t adjust, resulting in an awkward base that is going to destroy his natural balance. Freeling is also playing with wide hands here, giving up his chest and completing the recipe for a mess. Instead of pancaking his defender, Freeling gets knocked off his feet and the play goes nowhere.Freeling’s a tall tackle and maintaining leverage can be a struggle for him, both in pass pro and the run game. This really shows up in the second level and in space, where Freeling winds up too tall and off his feet way too often.The bad news: Freeling still has work ahead of him when it comes to his feel for space blocking and general work in the run game. The good news: Every problem here is fixable. All of the most difficult stuff to teach — the bend, explosion and ability to put yourself in position to finish — is already in Freeling’s back pocket.“He definitely has the skill set,” Panthers offensive line coach Joe Gilbert said recently. “Mobility-wise, change of direction — he’s gonna be able to do it, for sure.”Run-blocking instincts are there — ditto power and athleticismHere’s an example of Freeling excelling in areas that are much tougher to teach. Georgia has a split-zone call on and Freeling’s first job is to down block his defensive tackle on his way toward a second-level linebacker. Note the power Freeling flashes here off the snap, as he displaces the defensive tackle (and his own guard) to create a pretty huge cutback lane.This is where it really gets special, though, as the inside linebacker has wisely read Freeling’s block and slipped himself back into position to stop this for minimal gain. That doesn’t happen, though, as Freeling is able to completely wheel his frame around quickly enough to seal off the linebacker before he can make the play.Freeling’s athleticism, power and football instinct are solely responsible for creating that rush lane. Not something you see from very many college left tackles, especially his age. Flashes of legit run-blocking power are all over Freeling’s tape. The only question is whether he turns those flashes into consistency as an NFL starter.Freeling said he likes watching the pass sets of New York Giants tackle Andrew Thomas, who also played at Georgia. In the run game, Freeling, an Oregon native, takes inspiration from Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell.“I grew up watching him as an Oregon fan,” Freeling said. “Kind of seeing him develop, how dominant he is in the run game, I want to apply it to my game, too.”Freeling the protectorThere are a hundred reasons to bet on a player with Freeling’s physical tools, even if he’s up-and-down as a rookie. From a pass protection standpoint, he might wind up more consistent than his experience says he should be.You can turn the tape on against any opponent Georgia (which plays as tough a schedule in the SEC as anyone nationally) played and see long stretches of Freeling erasing edge rushers with his length, power and quickness. He’s very hard to get depth on early due to his stride and the explosion he generates off the snap.As is the case with his run blocking, Freeling tends to play more upright than he’d like in protection. On the night he was drafted, he mentioned playing with a lower pad level for Young than he did for Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton.But Freeling’s body control and general flexibility are also special for a man his size. Meaning he can sink, bend and recover against twitchy athletes off the edge and not fly off balance.Freeling lettered in basketball at Oceanside Collegiate outside of Charleston, S.C. And while he didn’t put up prodigious numbers (an average of 2.3 points and 2.5 rebounds a game), he credits his basketball background for helping keep pass rushers at bay.“I just think pass protection, especially as an offensive lineman, has a lot to do with playing defense in basketball — at least changing direction-wise,” he said during draft weekend. “You are trying to stay in front of a defender in basketball, (which) translates to the same thing in football. Except that I get to use my hands and you can’t do that in basketball.”About Freeling’s hands: They’re gigantic and powerful — and stand out in his pass pro. When he got his hands inside a defender’s chest at Georgia, that rep was over.Corey Fuller, the Panthers’ Southeast area scout, had the same assessment. “He’s already powerful (with) big hands. Once he gets his hands on you, you’re not moving,” Fuller said. “And once he gets even stronger, the better.”Freeling’s built for power and speed. He’s strong enough to probably be a right or a left tackle in the NFL — though ability to mirror speed and anchor versus power make him an NFL left tackle prospect straight from Central Casting.The Panthers hope Freeling can be a franchise pillar for a long time. And with the team weighing an extension for Young as the No. 1 pick from 2023 enters his fourth season, Freeling believes he and Young can benefit each other.“I think I’m an athletic tackle. I think it’s awesome that Bryce can really move around in the pocket,” he said. “I think I’m going to do a great job of protecting him, but I also think that him running around is going to help me. I think I’m going to fit in pretty well.”