Although the college football season is not quite over, many fans have turned the attention to the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. While the rest of the draft order shall be determined by how the NFL playoffs shake out, we do know that the Las Vegas Raiders have the No. 1 overall pick, and that several former Georgia stars have decided to forego their final seasons of eligibility and turn pro.
The four biggest names entering the NFL Draft from a Georgia standpoint are linebacker CJ Allen, Zachariah Branch, Monroe Freeling, and Christen Miller. All four have been tied to the first round in some way, shape, or form. Allen feels like the closest thing to a lock to go in the top-32. While Branch and Miller may have some work to do, the chances of Freeling going in the first round are improving.
In Nicholas Rome's latest NFL mock draft for Saturday Blitz, he had the all-conference offensive tackle out of Georgia going to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 29 overall. Allen went a pick later to the New England Patriots at No. 30, while Branch and Miller fell presumably into day two. The Rams have two first-round picks this year. This is their own, with their other one coming from the Atlanta Falcons.
In short, Freeling is validated by turning pro in this mock draft to take advantage of a bad tackle class.
Monroe Freeling goes to Los Angeles Rams at No. 29 in latest mock draft
Freeling is the fifth offensive tackle prospect to go in this draft after Miami's Francis Mauigoa (No. 17 to Detroit Lions), Utah's Spencer Fano (No. 19 to Carolina Panthers), Alabama's Kadyn Proctor (No. 23 to Philadelphia Eagles), and Utah's Caleb Lomu (No. 24 to Cleveland Browns). Mauigao falling to No. 17 in Rome's mock is a telling sign there may not be a ton of great prospects at this position group.
The Utah tandem of Fano and Lomu may get the benefit of the doubt from the school they played at. The same thing can be said about the idea of Proctor. While Mauigoa should be seen as OT1 in this class, there is a non-zero chance that Freeling could make his way up to OT2 in some aspects. He bet on himself by turning pro to take advantage of the situation. The Rams would be a great landing spot.
Not only does he get to play for Sean McVay, but this might be the last year the Rams are truly Super Bowl-caliber with fellow former UGA great Matthew Stafford at quarterback. Getting a player at a premium position at a bit of a discount in Freeling at left tackle could be key in helping the Rams have staying power. They could look to take Ty Simpson or Trinidad Chambliss with the No. 13 pick as well.
Rome has the Rams taking LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane at No. 13 with Simpson off the board...