Monroe Freeling Is Drawing Joe Alt Comparisons — Could the Eagles Trade Up?

Four weeks from the NFL Draft, there's a name gaining serious momentum on every Eagles fan's radar: Monroe Freeling.

The Georgia left tackle has been climbing boards since the NFL Combine, and NFL Draft analyst Ian Cummings — one of the sharpest evaluators in the business — just dropped a comparison that should make every Eagles fan sit up straight: Joe Alt.

The Physical Profile Is Absurd

Freeling measured in at six-foot-seven, 314 pounds with near 35-inch arms at the combine. He ran a 4.94 forty, which is ridiculous for his frame, but the number that really jumps off the page is his 1.71 ten-yard split. The benchmark for NFL starting tackles is 1.77 — Freeling blew past it by a full six hundredths of a second at his size.

Add in a 33.5-inch vertical and 9-7 broad jump, and you're looking at a physical specimen that checks every single box.

The Alt Comparison Makes Sense

The Joe Alt parallel isn't about them being identical players — it's about the archetype. Alt came out of Notre Dame at six-foot-eight with elite athleticism, incredible flexibility for his size, and an anchor that defied his frame. He went fifth overall to the Chargers and immediately looked like a franchise cornerstone.

Freeling has that same flexibility fail-safe. Despite being six-seven, he can align at nearly a 45-degree angle because his hip flexibility allows him to sink and keep positioning against power. That's rare. Most tall tackles get upright and lose leverage. Freeling bends like a guy four inches shorter.

The Price Tag

Here's the problem for Philadelphia: Freeling probably isn't making it to 23. Multiple mock drafts now have him going top 10, with the Browns at six being a popular landing spot. Cummings himself has Freeling mocked sixth overall.

To trade up from 23 into the top 12-15, the Eagles would need to package significant capital. Using the standard trade value chart, 23 plus 54 gets you to roughly the 14th pick. That's a steep price — your first and second round picks — for a tackle who might need a year behind Lane Johnson before starting.

Is It Worth It?

If Freeling becomes a decade-long franchise left tackle, absolutely. The Eagles have been searching for Johnson's successor for years and haven't found him. This might be the best opportunity they get in a class loaded with offensive line talent. But Roseman has to weigh that against the depth available — Blake Miller, Caden Proctor, Spencer Fano, and Caleb Lomu could all be available later without the trade-up cost.

The draft is 27 days away. Freeling's stock is only going up from here.