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EspañolWith the Cleveland Browns needing to draft an offensive tackle in the 2026 NFL Draft, even after the trade for Tytus Howard, they could look to target the young and athletic Monroe Freeling from the University of Georgia.
However, the Browns may just need to take a look at him sooner rather than later. While Freeling was a mainstay for Browns fans in mock drafts to land with the 24th overall pick in the draft, it's time to jump him up to the sixth overall pick in the draft. Especially after his performance at the NFL Combine this past weekend.
There is now a real chance that Freeling, over the likes of Miami's Francis Mauigoa and Utah's Spencer Fano, could be the first offensive tackle off the board.
Monroe Freeling's NFL Combine results
Monroe Freeling measured in at 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds in Indianapolis this past week. His arms came in at nearly 35 inches long, and his hands at nearly 11 inches. Freeling possesses a massive 84.5-inch wingspan. He then went on to test off the charts on the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium.
All he did then was run a blazing 4.93 40-yard dash with a 1.71-second 10-yard split, hit 33.5 inches in his vertical jump, and a massive 9-foot-7 in his broad jump. Freeling did not do the agility drills, nor did he do the bench press at the NFL Combine.
Why the Browns might need to draft him with pick No. 6
NFL Draft analysts are not jumping the gun with Monroe Freeling to the Browns. ESPN's Jordan Reid mocked the Georgia big man to the Browns in his post-combine mock draft, and Daft on Draft's Cory Kinnan has released a bold prediction that Freeling will be the first tackle off the board. Here is what Kinnan at Daft on Draft had to say:
"It’s odd to have a class where the top tackles are both right tackles. Not just right tackles, but two right tackles who each have questions about what their NFL position is, and players with size issues each. If an NFL team is looking for the prototypical long, athletic, and young left tackle, Freeling is the easy choice.
It’s easy to see an NFL team buying into the Freeling hype over Mauigoa or Fano."
With the Browns already landing their right tackle in Tytus Howard, it makes all of the sense in the world that they could now pivot to left tackle and land Freeling with the sixth pick in the draft.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns NFL Draft target Monroe Freeling becomes more clear by the day