Panthers star earns honorable mention in ESPN rankings after disappointing 2025 season

So far, the tenure of Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan has been a smashing success. There have been some mistakes, but Morgan has far more hits than misses so far—including the first two big moves that he made after taking over the front office.

Those would be the massive contracts he handed out in free agency to left guard Damien Lewis (four years, $53 million) and right guard Robert Hunt (five years, $100 million) in 2024. Together, they have solidified the interior of a unit that is the strongest on the roster right now.

Even though Hunt only appeared in two games last season due to a pectoral injury, he’s still impressed enough since joining Carolina to earn an honorable mention in ESPN’s top-10 interior lineman rankings.

Senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler—who polled league executives and coaches for the list—included the following quote on Hunt from an NFC scout:

“He’s not in the elite group, but as a run-game mauler, there aren’t many better. He just wasn’t healthy last year.”

Hunt didn’t play enough snaps in 2025 to qualify, but the blurb checks out. In 2024, Hunt earned a 57.5 grade in pass blocking from Pro Football Focus to go with a much stronger 72.0 in run blocking. He’d earn his first Pro Bowl nod that year.

In any case, Hunt is clearly established as one of the game’s best guards—and with another high-quality season, Lewis should be joining him in that conversation soon.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers star earns honorable mention in ESPN rankings after disappointing 2025 season