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

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 two years of starting experience at tackle. One at left tackle and one at right tackle. 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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