CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Monroe "Icebreaker" Freeling wanted to stay home. The provided the opportunity, drafting the Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, native . "You have to take everything with a grain of salt because I didn't know how this night was going to go," Freeling said on . When the Panthers called, Freeling described his first reaction: "No. way. "It was surreal. It's still surreal. I don't even know if it's set in yet quite yet that I'm staying home and only a three-hour drive from (Charlotte)." Suiting up for his first NFL practice Friday, reality set in for the former Georgia standout. The Panthers hosted 36 rookies and first-year free agents for the start of a three-day minicamp at the practice fields near Bank of America Stadium. Freeling is serving as a roster icebreaker. "I mean, when you put a bunch of people who haven't been around each other together for a the first time, the forced conversation," . "I think at breakfast I was around a couple of offensive linemen and no Paul Eboua Jersey one was talking. I was like, 'All right, let's get an icebreaker going, tell me something about yourself, and something like that. "I'm going to come in and be me." Panthers' Monroe Freeling appears in first NFL practice Following his profe sional debut Friday, Freeling said he was learning more about his new teammates during the two-day minicamp. Many of those prospects likely will not be offered an opportunity to join the 91-man offseason roster after this weekend, but Freeling said he's enjoying his initial NFL experience. On the field, Freeling continued to match up against . The two developed a . Coach Dave Canales said he was entertained by the light-contact workout. "Just a good head start," . "In this mode, we talk about practice is everything and this is where we make us and got to see a little glimpse of that today. Lee, he has a real sense for getting off on the snap, feeling the cadence right now and guys just learning to work together. "We can play speed without the contact. I was really proud of the guys for the way they handled it today." Good icebreaker. Jae Crowder Jersey