Ricky Lee (American football)

Ricky Lee III (born June 11, 1999) is an American football offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina Central before transferring to North Carolina A&T. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Panthers after the 2023 NFL draft.

Early life and education
Lee was born on June 11, 1999, and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He attended Robert E. Lee High School—now Riverside High School–in his hometown, playing football and basketball; he was a first-team all-district selection at offensive tackle in football. He began his college football career with the North Carolina Central Eagles, starting all 11 games as a freshman and remained a starter as a sophomore in 2019. Lee transferred to rival North Carolina A&T after the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Lee's first season at North Carolina A&T, he started all 11 games and had the second-most snaps played among their offensive linemen with 648. He remained a starter for his senior season in 2022 and was named second-team All-Big South Conference.

Professional career
After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Lee was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent, being one of the few players from a historically black college (HBCU) around the league and the only one on the Panthers. He made the team's final roster, being one of only two of the team's undrafted rookies to make the squad as well as one of only 20 HBCU players to make their team's initial roster.