The NFL Draft is quickly approaching, and Georgia once again is expected to be one of the teams with the most players selected. Heading into the offseason it was pretty clear who the top Bulldogs heading to the draft were as there were a handful of players expected to be drafted in the first few rounds. Monroe Freeling was not one of those players.
Fast forward to this week however and that is no longer the case. Freeling was always someone who was going to get drafted this summer, but he was expected to be picked somewhere in the middle of the draft. But ESPN has been extremely high on him as of late, and their latest mock draft has him going much higher than anyone thought possible.
Georgia OT is skyrocketing up NFL Draft mocks
According to ESPN's most recent mock draft Freeling is projected to be selected 17th overall by the Detroit Lions. This is a big step up as they previously had Freeling going 28th overall to the Houston Texans.
ESPN pointed out the need for the Lions to shore up their offensive line with star tackle Taylor Decker not being sure what his future holds. So in order to be better equipped for the future they believe the Lions will select Freeling.
If ESPN's mock draft comes true Freeling will be the third offensive tackle selected in this summer's draft. He also would be the first Georgia Bulldog taken as well. No one thought either of those things were possible when Georgia's season came to an end, but Freeling is quickly becoming one of the most sought out prospects in the draft.
It will be interesting to see how Freeling performs in the NFL Draft Combine later this offseason as that will go a long way in determining where he is selected. But as it stands today ESPN expects him to be one of the first players taken in the 2026 NFL Draft.