The Lions Should Draft This Guy: Georgia’s Monroe Freeling has the highest ceiling, but he also might be the highest risk

If he can hit the ceiling for the Lions, it’s a crazy good pick. If he never grows, it’s a crazy big regret

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Georgia OT Monroe Freeling
Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Monroe Freeling (57) blocks during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

We’re getting closer and closer to the 2026 NFL Draft for the Detroit Lions. With that in mind, we’re starting our new series called The Lions Should Draft This Guy. We’re going to profile a bunch of players we feel the Lions would love, and talk about their positives and negatives. Follow along! Here’s who we’ve covered so far:

The Positives of Monroe Freeling

I think every evaluator will tell you that Freeling has the highest ceiling in the draft when it comes to tackles. He has the frame and elite-level athleticism. You can see it on film without even really diving deep into it.

In the pass game, Freeling had Pro Football Focus’s 10th-highest pass blocking grade in the nation last year with an 85.6 grade. He allowed just eight pressures and two sacks.

So far, he’s been good at learning the position and good at adding tools to his tool chest. It’s impressive that he put on 75 pounds in the last few years to make sure that he had a better frame. He’s putting in the work.

The Concerns

It’s a very risky move. Freeling has one year of starting experience and one year of swing tackle experience. He showed to be better on the left side in the pass game, but does Detroit want him there? How committed are they to the idea of moving Penei Sewell to the left side?

While he’s been good in the pass blocking game, he has not been great at run blocking, with a grade of just 61.7 in 2025. That does not gel well with a Lions team that wants to run the ball first and foremost.

If he doesn’t turn out to be the player that some think he can be, that’s the 17th pick you just spent on a player who never realized the potential. That turns into a big regret and just means you need to go and draft a tackle again.

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