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The 2026 Miami Dolphins have tied themselves to a young quarterback who has started only six NFL games.
So should they be concerned about a first-round prospect who in three years at Georgia started only 16 games — roughly one full college season?
Offensive tackle Monroe Freeling is banking on NFL teams being comfortable with what he has put on tape. While there is a consensus he’s a first-round pick, projections for him are such that ESPN included him in its list of polarizing prospects in this NFL Draft. Meaning he could be in play when the Dolphins pick 11th, but there’s a lesser chance he’d be available when they pick 30th. Or general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan could opt to move down several slots from No. 11 to score an extra Day 2 selection while still landing Freeling.
Freeling is 6-feet-7, 315 pounds, runs the 40 in 4.93 and has 34 3/4-inch arms. It’s a combination of bulk, range and athleticism you don’t find easily. Freeling knows that, which is why he left Georgia early.
“Honestly, I just thought I was ready,” he said. “I’d been going against really good players my whole three years there. I might’ve only had 16 starts, but I’m confident that I’ve gone against a bunch of NFL players every single day in practice.”
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein painted Freeling as a project.
“Freeling offers coveted length and athleticism at right tackle,” he wrote. “With only one season as a full-time starter, filling out his frame and improving his technique should be early priorities. His quickness brings first-phase positioning advantages, but he needs more play strength to carry that over to block sustain and finish.”
Zierlein concluded, “There is some buyer beware on tape, but if smoothed out, he has the ceiling of a quality NFL starter.”
As if to quantify the wide range of projections for Freeling’s future, NFL.com’s measuring scale ranks him second among offensive tackles in athleticism, seventh in production and third overall among OTs. But: A “relative athletic score” cited by the Detroit Lions’ website gives him a 99.99 out of 100, ranking second among 1,512 tackles since 1987. The Lions have some knowledge of what an outstanding tackle looks like — they have All-Pro Penei Sewell.
ESPN.com quoted an unnamed AFC executive as saying Freeling is “super talented” but his play “doesn’t match it.” Yet even that critic added, “If you stick with it and let him play through the growing pains, he can be really good. His film isn’t as good as some of the other guys right now.”
Freeling sounds like a prospect eager to grow. He said he has been studying the NFL’s best tackles, including Sewell.
“Watching how their techniques are and, ‘OK, how does mine stack up?’ ” he said. “What are they doing that I can do, and what are they doing that I need to do?”
Freeling prides himself in being available for his team, even if it means playing in pain, which he once did against Auburn. His secret?
“Honestly, yoga just really helps with injury prevention,” he said. “It’s huge on getting comfortable in compromising positions, just being flexible, and also the mindfulness part. Being mindful of your body and how you feel is really important on how you stay twitchy and play fast on the football field.”
Freeling can thank his mother for the idea.
“It was just back in my freshman year of high school,” he said. “COVID started, so we were all just cooped up in the house and my mom just kept on preaching, ‘You’ve got to do yoga.’ I was like, ‘You know what, I have nothing going on. I have no motion, nothing, so I’m going to try it out.’
“At first I wasn’t really sure because I was tight. I hadn’t done any stretching. The more I did it, the more I realized how beneficial it was. I’ve had times in games where I’ve been in some pretty compromising positions, but I’ve come out OK just because of my flexibility.”
He not only has the flexibility to help handle defensive linemen, but the mentality required for playing his position.
“I can’t imagine playing another position,” he said. “It’s probably the most special position on the field just because you get to play with five other guys as one. We might not get the credit all the time, but when you see a big run and we block everything perfectly, we all can look at each other and say, ‘We did that.’ ”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: NFL Draft 2026: Should Dolphins select Monroe Freeling in first round?
Continue reading...
So should they be concerned about a first-round prospect who in three years at Georgia started only 16 games — roughly one full college season?
Offensive tackle Monroe Freeling is banking on NFL teams being comfortable with what he has put on tape. While there is a consensus he’s a first-round pick, projections for him are such that ESPN included him in its list of polarizing prospects in this NFL Draft. Meaning he could be in play when the Dolphins pick 11th, but there’s a lesser chance he’d be available when they pick 30th. Or general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan could opt to move down several slots from No. 11 to score an extra Day 2 selection while still landing Freeling.
Freeling is 6-feet-7, 315 pounds, runs the 40 in 4.93 and has 34 3/4-inch arms. It’s a combination of bulk, range and athleticism you don’t find easily. Freeling knows that, which is why he left Georgia early.
“Honestly, I just thought I was ready,” he said. “I’d been going against really good players my whole three years there. I might’ve only had 16 starts, but I’m confident that I’ve gone against a bunch of NFL players every single day in practice.”
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein painted Freeling as a project.
“Freeling offers coveted length and athleticism at right tackle,” he wrote. “With only one season as a full-time starter, filling out his frame and improving his technique should be early priorities. His quickness brings first-phase positioning advantages, but he needs more play strength to carry that over to block sustain and finish.”
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Zierlein concluded, “There is some buyer beware on tape, but if smoothed out, he has the ceiling of a quality NFL starter.”
As if to quantify the wide range of projections for Freeling’s future, NFL.com’s measuring scale ranks him second among offensive tackles in athleticism, seventh in production and third overall among OTs. But: A “relative athletic score” cited by the Detroit Lions’ website gives him a 99.99 out of 100, ranking second among 1,512 tackles since 1987. The Lions have some knowledge of what an outstanding tackle looks like — they have All-Pro Penei Sewell.
ESPN.com quoted an unnamed AFC executive as saying Freeling is “super talented” but his play “doesn’t match it.” Yet even that critic added, “If you stick with it and let him play through the growing pains, he can be really good. His film isn’t as good as some of the other guys right now.”
Freeling sounds like a prospect eager to grow. He said he has been studying the NFL’s best tackles, including Sewell.
“Watching how their techniques are and, ‘OK, how does mine stack up?’ ” he said. “What are they doing that I can do, and what are they doing that I need to do?”
Monroe Freeling does yoga to help prevent injuries
Freeling prides himself in being available for his team, even if it means playing in pain, which he once did against Auburn. His secret?
“Honestly, yoga just really helps with injury prevention,” he said. “It’s huge on getting comfortable in compromising positions, just being flexible, and also the mindfulness part. Being mindful of your body and how you feel is really important on how you stay twitchy and play fast on the football field.”
Freeling can thank his mother for the idea.
“It was just back in my freshman year of high school,” he said. “COVID started, so we were all just cooped up in the house and my mom just kept on preaching, ‘You’ve got to do yoga.’ I was like, ‘You know what, I have nothing going on. I have no motion, nothing, so I’m going to try it out.’
“At first I wasn’t really sure because I was tight. I hadn’t done any stretching. The more I did it, the more I realized how beneficial it was. I’ve had times in games where I’ve been in some pretty compromising positions, but I’ve come out OK just because of my flexibility.”
He not only has the flexibility to help handle defensive linemen, but the mentality required for playing his position.
“I can’t imagine playing another position,” he said. “It’s probably the most special position on the field just because you get to play with five other guys as one. We might not get the credit all the time, but when you see a big run and we block everything perfectly, we all can look at each other and say, ‘We did that.’ ”
You must be registered for see images
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: NFL Draft 2026: Should Dolphins select Monroe Freeling in first round?
Continue reading...
