All it takes is for one team to fall in love with you. That seems to be the case with potentially the Georgia Bulldogs' first player off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft. That is right. We have seen a second team picking inside the top 20 mocked to select Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling. Hayden Winks of the Underdog Network has Freeling going No. 19 overall to the Carolina Panthers.
Winks has Carolina taking Freeling inside the top 20 for a few reasons. He cites injury concerns to former first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu as chief among them. With this being a critical season for Bryce Young's development under center, Winks does not feel Carolina can take any chances at tackle. This was a playoff team a season ago. Winks did admit he had Freeling as No. 12 overall on his draft board.
Freeling has been a steady climber throughout the NFL Draft process. He is the No. 30 overall prospect on NFL Mock Draft Database's big board and has a consensus mock to the Cleveland Browns picking at No. 24. This is the first time in recent weeks Freeling has been mocked to the Panthers at No. 19. The highest he had been coming off the board is No. 17 to the Detroit Lions.
Clearly, Freeling's size and overall upside are the biggest reasons why he may be a first-round lock.
Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling mocked to Carolina Panthers at No. 19
At this time, there are potentially four Georgia football players who could conceivably go in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Freeling and linebacker CJ Allen are probably the closest things to locks. Both players have been regularly coming off the board in the 20s in recent weeks. Defensive lineman Christen Miller could go top-32. Wide receiver Zachariah Branch needs a ton of help to do it.
As far as the Panthers being a fit for Freeling is concerned, it is every bit the high-variance projection he is coming out. NFL teams like the Panthers would be banking on Freeling's overall upside. He has a massive frame, but did deal with injuries while at Georgia. More importantly, he was only a three-year player for the Dawgs, not becoming a starter until the latter part of his college football-playing career.
In the end, other more established playoff teams like the Houston Texans or the Philadelphia Eagles picking a little bit later than the Panthers at No. 19 may give him the best overall chance at success at the next level. Of course, it may be entirely up to what Dave Canales, Dan Morgan, and the rest of the Panthers organization want to do at No. 19. Keep an eye on Detroit to potentially reach on him as well.
For now, it will be intriguing to see what Freeling's draft range will be after the NFL Scouting Combine.