Lee Hunter NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Carolina Panthers DT

Matt HolderDec 2, 2025

The Carolina Panthers selected Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

The phrase "country strong" comes to mind when watching Lee Hunter's tape.

The 6'3", 320-pound nose tackle has impressive size and strength to be a run-stuffer on first and second downs. However, his lack of athleticism and an effective get-off limits his contributions as a pass-rusher.

Hunter was originally a 4-star recruit in the 2021 class, committing to Auburn out of high school and redshirting as a true freshman. He transferred to UCF the following year and became a rotational player, collecting 17 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack.

The former Golden Knight developed into a full-time starter and enjoyed a breakout campaign as a redshirt sophomore with 69 tackles, 11 TFLs and three sacks to earn honorable mention All-Big 12 honors. He was a second-team selection in 2024 with 45 tackles, 9.5 TFLs and a sack.

Hunter accumulated 41 tackles, 10.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks during the 2025 season, earning first-team All-American and All-Big 12 honors.

Matt Holder has been a part of B/R's Scouting Department for four seasons. He also writes about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL draft for SB Nation's Silver and Black Pride, and co-hosts a YouTube Channel, Tape Don't Lie, providing film breakdowns and more draft prospect analysis.

Highlights

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Where He Wins

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- Hunter is built like a true NFL nose tackle.

- Takes on blocks with his hands and displays impressive upper body strength to stand up offensive linemen at the line of scrimmage.

- Hard to move with one-on-one blocks and holds his gap when he keeps his pads down against double-teams, solid at absorbing contact against the run.

- Recognizes down blocks, shifting his eyes and hands to hold ground and avoid getting washed inside.

- Presents several ways to escape blocks, with the strength to stack-and-shed, while also showing hump and arm-over moves to catch offensive linemen leaning.

- Showed flashes of working the hands as a pass-rusher.

- Good pass-rush motor to get coverage or clean-up sacks when the quarterback steps up in the pocket.

Areas of Improvement

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- Subpar athleticism and quickness, even for a nose tackle.

- A little late off the ball with a habit of playing too high, preventing him from collapsing the pocket as a bull-rusher consistently. Also, Hunter can cause him to concede some ground against double-teams and combo blocks.

- A waist-bender instead of a knee-bender.

- Lack of agility leads to Hunter taking long and inefficient paths in line games and makes him susceptible to getting reached or scooped.

- Hand placement when taking on blocks can get a little wide, limiting his extension against blocks.

- Struggles to sink his hips and bend in the backfield, leading to him getting too far up the field.

- Has lapses in gap integrity where he'll leave his assignment and create a cutback lane.