ATHENS — Monroe Freeling was one of a few Georgia players to improve his draft stock at the NFL combine in Indianapolis and position himself to make more money.
But potentially, how much more money might Freeling be worth?
NFL draft projections are an inexact science, to be sure, but it’s not a leap to suggest Freeling separated himself from other offensive tackles with his physical traits and combine drill performances.
A recent post-NFL combine mock draft by Yahoo Sports projects Freeling to be the No. 6 overall pick and play for former UGA offensive coordinator and current Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken.
The 2025 NFL draft saw Ashton Jeanty selected No. 6 overall, landing a preslotted rookie contract valued at $35.9 million, per the Sportico.com database.
Spotrac.com, which also specializes in NFL contract data, suggests the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft will receive a contract worth $40 million.
Freeling’s 6-foot-7 frame features the longest wingspan (84½ inches) among this year’s crop of offensive tackles, the better for blocking speedy, athletic edge-rush specialists.
The UGA junior from Charleston, South Carolina, started only 16 games in his collegiate career and was projected as a late first-round pick entering the NFL combine before turning heads Sunday with an eye-opening 4.93-second time in the 40-yard dash at 315 pounds.
Freeling also had a 33½-inch vertical jump and 9-foot-7 broad jump, ranking in the top five among offensive linemen in both drills.
The NFL draft doesn’t take place until April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, so there’s still time for projections to shift as teams address needs through free agency, but it’s worth contrasting Freeling’s perceived stock before and after the combine.
Indeed, if Freeling ranked seventh among offensive tackles instead of second, he would be projected as the 28th overall pick in the first round by Yahoo Sports.
Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor is projected in that slot in the first round, which last season landed Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams a contract worth $16.5 million and is projected to be valued at 18 million this year.
It’s stunning to think combine results could potentially mean the difference of more than $20 million in contract value, but when one considers the importance of a first-round pick to an NFL franchise — the need to draft a player with the physical makeup and football skills who can contribute immediately — the value becomes clear.
Cornerback Daylen Everette was another departing Bulldog who improved his NFL draft stock with his NFL combine performance.
Everette — considered by one NFL source who spoke to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the condition of anonymity — entered the combine projected to be a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick after an inconsistent senior season.
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But NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter made the case Friday after Everette’s sub-4.4 second time in the 40 and explosive drill work that the former Georgia cornerback will jump into Day 2 (second or third round) of the draft.
“Everette’s 2025 game film was not elite, but he ran a stellar 4.38 40,” Reuter wrote. “If teams put more value on Everette’s pre-2025 tape and his combine workout, he might end up being picked in Round 2.”
The difference between a mid-fourth-round pick and a late second-round pick is not as great a financial standpoint as the first-round variances, but it carries weight.
Some NFL second-round picks receive fully guaranteed contracts, while others receive a lesser portion of their contract in guaranteed money.
Ole Miss cornerback Trey Amos was a late-second round pick last season, the sixth player taken at his position as he was selected 61st overall.
Amos signed a four-year contract worth $7.3 million — 63% of which was guaranteed money — while this year’s 61st overall pick is projected to get a deal worth $7.9 million.
Louisville’s Quincy Riley was a mid-fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, signing a four-year deal worth $5.1 million annually, per Spotrac, but only 25% of the contract is guaranteed.
Certainly, the amount of money a franchise has invested in a player would be part of the decision-making process when evaluating potential roster changes each season, and therein lies the built-in value of guaranteed money.
Wide receiver Colbie Young was a Georgia player who came to the combine with no NFL.com draft grade, with analysts suggesting Young “likely needs time in developmental league.”
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Young missed 15 games over the past two seasons while dealing with a fractured leg suffered last season and a suspension during his junior season with the Bulldogs.
But Young, while short on overall production, came up big in his measurements and NFL combine workouts.
Young measured in at 6-foot-5 — 2 inches taller than listed on the UGA roster — and weighed 218 pounds.
Young proceeded to run a 4.49-second time in the 40-yard dash and hit the highest speed (19.72 mph) among receivers in the so-called gauntlet drill.
Young emerged from the combine with an NFL draft grade (indicating he will be selected) and listed assets that include “catch instincts” and an ability to run after the catch.
Getting selected in the seven-round NFL draft is most often preferable to signing a free-agent contract. Undrafted rookie free agents in the NFL typically sign three-year deals, but often with little to no guaranteed money.
Seventh-round NFL draft picks this year are projected to get four-year deals in the $4.4 million range.
Former UGA receiver Dominic Lovett signed a four-year contract for $4.3 million last year after being selected in the seventh round, with a $106,772 signing bonus and $106,772 in guaranteed money.
Ben Yurosek, a former Georgia tight end who went undrafted before making the Minnesota Vikings’ 53-man active roster, signed a three-year deal worth $3 million with $254,000 in guaranteed money, according to overthecap.com.
The NFL implemented a rookie wage scale through its 2011 collective bargaining agreement in the interest of allowing teams to effectively manage their salary caps, as first-round rookie salaries were eclipsing those of proven, established veterans.
Sam Bradford signed the richest rookie contract in NFL history the season before the rookie wage scale CBA took effect, receiving a six-year, $78 million contract with $50 million guaranteed.
By contrast, last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, Cam Ward, signed a four-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $48.7 million.
