Once the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted their James Conner replacement in Najee Harris in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, their draft needs turned to offensive line and tight end.
Looking at the board, the Steelers went with Pat Freiermuth out of Penn State University with their second-round pick. Freiermuth has been compared to long-time Steeler tight end Heath Miller which would bode well for his fantasy football value. Sharing snaps with incumbent tight end Eric Ebron should have Freiermuth be a long-term dynasty prospect rather than one that is going to turn in immediate value.
Hitting The Ground Running In College
Freiermuth wasted no time making an impact for the Nittany Lions playing in 12 games his freshman season. He only had 26 receptions, but he had 368 yards and he had eight touchdowns. Playing in 13 games his sophomore season Freiermuth had 43 receptions for 507 yards and seven touchdowns. His final collegiate season was cut short, but he still played in four games with 23 receptions for 310 yards and a touchdown. The progression that he made from 26 receptions over 12 games his freshman year to nearly recreating that pace, but in one-third of the games shows the potential that Freiermuth shows. Even though he had a limited season, Freiermuth still won the 2020 Kwalick-Clark Award which is given to the Big Ten Conference’s best tight end.
Freiermuth’s best performances in college were either his 2019 game against Michigan State when he had five receptions for 60 yards and three touchdowns or his final collegiate game against Nebraska in 2020 when he had seven receptions for 113 yards. These games align pretty well with Freiermuth’s best quality which is his consistency for average yards in a game. He averaged 12.9 yards per reception in his career at Penn State even though his average depth of target was nine yards. In 2019, for the tight ends that had at least 58 targets (Freiermuth had 58 that season), Friermuth was tied for the fewest targets, but he ranked third in touchdowns, and seventh in yards after the catch per reception. Speaking of consistency, Freiermuth is one of only two of the 17 qualified tight ends that didn’t have a single drop that season during the regular season and he only had one fumble during his college career.
New “Big Money”?
Heath Miller is widely considered to be the best tight end in Pittsburgh Steelers history and he is also the player that Pat Freiermuth gets compared to the most often. Miller played for the Steelers from 2005-2015 and had over 6,000 yards receiving and 39 touchdowns over his career. Size-wise, they are nearly twins with both players being 6 ft. 5 and Miller being listed as 256 when playing and Freiermuth being 258. Freiermuth is going to join the Steelers as their second tight end behind veteran Eric Ebron, who will become a free agent in 2022 and at this point hasn’t done much to make anyone expect them to re-sign him.
The Steelers are on the bring of a new era with it presumably being quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s final season. Whether the Steelers retain Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins, or if they go a completely different route, Freiermuth brings youth to the team and position group and he figures to be woven into their plans going forward.
Rookie Draft Breakdown
While not a flashy landing spot in the short term, Freiermuth has a high upside when it comes to future use and role. He isn’t going to be as “sexy” of a pick as quarterbacks instantly thrown into a starter’s role, or even as hot of a pick as teammate Najee Harris. Freiermuth certainly should not be a first-round pick in your drafts but is fine to take in the latter part of the second-round. If he falls to the third, snatch him up!
