Monroe Freeling's NFL Draft Surge Is Putting Immense Pressure on Teams

Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling saw an opportunity to enter the 2026 NFL Draft. Despite making less than 20 starts for the Bulldogs, the athletic blocker believed he was this class' true blue-chip tackle prospect. Freeling's gamble is about to be proven correct, as he's trending towards being a high first-round pick on Thursday evening.

A top-25 prospect in our in-house Big Board, Freeling recently spoke exclusively with NFL Draft On SI. Freeling discussed being shown the ropes at Georgia by the veterans, declaring for the NFL Draft, his outstanding Combine performance, recent team meetings and visits, and more.

NFL Draft Interview: Georgia's Monroe Freeling is Top Offensive Tackle On Various Team Boards

JM: You got to Georgia in 2023 and you played in eight games as a freshman. There are a ton of NFL players in that position room. I’m talking about Amarius Mims, Dylan Fairchild, Jared Wilson, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Tate Ratledge, and others. How did they help show you the ropes?

Monroe Freeling: When I got to Georgia, the program was coming off back-to-back National Championships. I immediately realized there was a standard in place. As a young freshman, I just wanted to fall in line with the standard.

I learned a ton from every guy you mentioned. It started with how they practiced. I picked up those habits. Fun fact, I was the only freshman offensive lineman in Georgia’s recruiting class up until the summer.

I had to learn from the older veterans. I leaned on them and asked them questions. Of course they gave me a hard time (laughs). That’s how it goes as a freshman.

I became very close with Tate Ratledge. I was at his wedding. Crazy story, he actually hosted me as a recruit. He was my recruiting host. I’ve known him for about 5-6 years now. Believe it or not, our relationship started during the recruiting process (laughs).

Leaning on the older vets was great for me.

JM: That’s crazy. You took a step forward in 2024 and when 2025 came around, you were fully prepared. You started 13 games at left tackle en route to Second-Team All-SEC honors. You put in the work to get there. What will you best remember about the process?

Monroe Freeling: I’ll remember what it took. Coming off my sophomore season, that was still a huge learning experience for me. Especially because I was a swing tackle that year. I went back and forth and had to get comfortable playing multiple positions.

When 2025 came around, I felt a lot more loose and confident. I actually had labrum surgery [heading into 2025] and that impacted the winter. That process was mentally grueling. I was trying to recover because I knew I had a huge season on the horizon.

When summertime rolled around, I didn’t take a single day for granted. I was healthy. I put in as much extra work as I could put in on a daily basis. I really set my mind to it. I wanted to get better.

Shoot, I wanted to win a National Championship so bad. It’s unfortunate that I never did. I can’t say that the 2025 season was a failure though. From a team standpoint, from an offensive line standpoint, we made so many strides.

I’m really happy with our 2025 season.

Monroe Freeling - NFL Draft — Mar 1, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Georgia offensive lineman Monroe Freeling (OL24) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

JM: You popped on my radar in November. Hey, this kid is really good. If he declares, he’s going to shake up what we think we know about the offensive tackle class. That’s exactly what you’ve done. After 18 college starts, it was pretty obvious to me that you’re special. You have rare size and movement skills for the position. What made you feel like now was the right time?

Monroe Freeling: I saw an opportunity. I saw a tackle class that didn’t have a true tackle [at the top]. I also think my best football is ahead of me. If I would have gotten to play in a few more games at the end of the season to showcase my talent, you guys [the media] would have seen it as well. Nobody would have asked questions about my decision [to declare].

The only thing that made it a tough decision for me was not winning the National Championship. I thought about going back because I wanted that Natty so bad.

Without those extra games of film, I think maybe that’s where things got lost in translation. If you watch my final 4-5 games of the season, I was playing the best football of my career. I’m up there with the best tackles in the country.

You’re always progressing in this sport. The fact that I was getting better as the year went on shows I’m gonna continue growing and improving. Coming into my first NFL season, that’s the goal. I’m gonna navigate those challenges.

When it came down to making the decision to declare, I felt like I was the best tackle in the country coming out of the 2025 season. If there’s anything I know, it’s that I’m going to keep getting better while being a product of my environment.

It made the decision pretty easy for me.

Monroe Freeling - Georgia — Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Monroe Freeling (57) blocks Mississippi Rebels defensive lineman Princely Umanmielen (1) during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

JM: I love that answer, man. The momentum just hasn’t slowed down for you at all. You went to the NFL Combine and you ran a 4.93 at 315 pounds. That was a top-three time among offensive tackles. You also jumped a 33.5-inch vertical. You were training with the Excel Sports team, Curt Truhe and Sazi Guthrie helped get you ready. Those guys are some of the best. Do you think you surprised scouts with the performance? It was probably the best performance we saw from an offensive linemen at the NFL Combine.

Monroe Freeling: Man, I wanted that sub-4.9 [40 yard dash]. After that first run, I probably shouldn’t have ran a second time, but my competitive nature took over. I was pleasantly surprised with some of my other numbers.

My broad jump for example, I don’t think I jumped higher than that in training. It’s great to please the scouts, but I wanted to please myself first and foremost. For as long as I could remember, I’ve been dreaming about participating in the NFL Combine.

I wanted to showcase my athleticism. I feel like I really capitalized on the opportunity. Having been a longtime NFL Combine viewer, it was so cool to be out there,

JM: You were incredible. You have a huge wingspan (84.5 inches) and terrific length (34 ¾”) to protect the edge. How do you use that to your advantage?

Monroe Freeling: One of the coaching points I’ve always gotten is that I have to use my length more. I made that a point of emphasis this past season. I really started to realize how much of an asset my length is this season.

When I can touch you, and they can’t touch me, that just makes everything so much easier. Having the length advantage is like a cheat code. It makes for a pretty easy football game.

JM: What was your favorite play to run in the playbook this past season? Something you got excited about hearing in the huddle? Break down that for me. I love hearing this answer from an offensive tackle.

Monroe Freeling: That’s a good question. Probably one of our toss plays. We had this one play, we had plans to run it, but we never actually did, because we had to check out of it. We didn’t get the look we wanted.

It was basically a duo pull. We actually stole it from Utah. I was gonna pull. Basically, we’re running duo to the right and I’m pulling from the backside tackle position all the way to the edge to kick out a cornerback [block]. Oh man, that would have been great.

That would have been a highlight reel right there (laughs). I thought I was about to get a highlight block. We were running it on the goal line, but we ended up checking out of it. I wanted that one so bad (laughs).

I also love anything where I can block in space. I love getting that one-on-one with a defensive back. Maybe that’s a cheap answer. What’s better than having 315 pounds versus 180 pounds, you know (laughs).

JM: I’d be on the wrong end of that one (laughs). That’s a lot of fun. I believe you visited the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and Miami Dolphins throughout the pre-draft visit. Do I have that correct? Did I miss any? There’s so much interest in you, man.

Monroe Freeling: I visited the Philadelphia Eagles as well. It was a good process. It was exciting to get out to those facilities. The travel is the strange part because you’re only there for about 24 hours. You kinda clock in and clock out.

It was really cool to see all those places. It was great to meet with different coaches and get a feel for how they’re running their respective organizations. When I went to Philly to visit the Eagles, I saw Smael [Mondon Jr.], who I played with at Georgia. It’s cool to see familiar faces.

It was fun to get those perspectives. I’m ready to find out where I’m going to call home. The process was super fun.

JM: We’ve appreciated your time today. This conversation has highlighted why Monroe Freeling deserves to be a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft. What kinda guy do you plan on being at the next level?

Monroe Freeling: I’m going to be a great locker room guy. My favorite thing about football is the team aspect. I love being around my teammates. I love playing for the team. There’s no other sport like it. In basketball or soccer, one player could take over a game.

It takes a complete team effort in football. I love playing with the guys, especially as an offensive linemen. It’s the best position to play. You’re playing with five guys together as a unit. You’re gonna get a great locker room guy when you draft me.

I’m a high-energy guy. I’m very enthusiastic. I’m going to bring a lot of energy to the program.

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