Monroe Freeling

The Player

Freeling is a development tackle prospect with a high ceiling because of his frame, length, quickness, and agility. He was a one-year starter at Georgia who had 18 career starts, played in a run-heavy scheme, and is a work in progress as a pass blocker. He’s big and strong enough to recover and anchor when he rewraps his hands. But he is lean and has a high center of gravity, and he goes wide with his hands initially, so he can give too much ground against speed-to-power and power.

At times, he stops moving his feet and lunges, he can be late reacting to inside moves, and he doesn’t pick up pressures. His initial quickness, feet, and range make him a good fit for zone-heavy run schemes. He needs to take better angles, but he has the range and athletic ability to develop into an elite blocker in space. He can fire off the ball, latch on, and get movement in the run game. He leans and slips off too many blocks and ends up on the ground too much. 

Defenders have some success getting into his frame and standing him up.

The Draft

Freeling isn’t a finished product, but his rare size, length, and athletic ability make him a top 25 pick.

The Projection

Freeling isn’t nearly as polished or experienced as 2016 sixth overall pick Ronnie Stanley was coming out of Notre Dame, but their frames, lengths, athletic ability, and ceilings are similar. Stanley was named first-team All-Pro in 2019, and he has started 120 games since getting drafted.