The Pittsburgh Steelers selected tight end, Pat Freiermuth, in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Freiermuth was a standout player for Penn State University and was named the Big Ten Conference Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year for 2020. He was the first Penn State player ever to win that award as he led the conference for receiving yards by a tight end.
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Steelers' Pat Freiermuth became one of the best tight ends in Penn State history.
Pittsburgh has been looking for a replacement for beloved tight end, Heath Miller, since he retired in 2015. While they had some serviceable tight ends like Vance McDonald, they hadn't found anyone who could multi-task the way Miller could.
Freiermuth has shown himself to be a force to be reckoned with. He has made steady improvements since entering the league. While he isn't quite to the elite level of a Travis Kelce, he has been named a top tight end in the league. His overall PFF score for the 2022 season was 75.5, which ranked him fifth overall.
While wasting time comparing Miller and Freiermuth is a bit pointless, it is refreshing to see that we have finally found "that guy." There are some differences between the two, Freiermuth has more receptions typically compared to Miller, and Miller was typically a better blocker than Freiermuth. Regardless of the differences, Freiermuth has become a bit of a security blanket on offense, the way Miller was.
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Ben Roethlisberger and Heath Miller won two Super Bowls during their 11 seasons together.
The Sky Is The Limit For Steelers' Pat Freiermuth
Former Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats is not shy about how impressed he has been by Freiermuth's transition to the pros. On a recent episode of his podcast, The Arthur Moats Experience, Moats did one of his "Master Moats Film Sessions" breaking down Freiermuth's gameplay.
"I'm just really excited about him, really looking forward to seeing what he's able to do in this third year. He's extremely talented and we saw last year his production took an even bigger leap. I think that he's still just scratching the surface."
The increase in his production last season is a testament to how talented Freiermuth is. His first season in Pittsburgh, he was able to play alongside future Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. But in 2022, after Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers started journeyman Mitch Trubisky who was later benched for then-rookie, Kenny Pickett. Despite all of the offensive changes and concerns over the play-calling, Freiermuth was able to flourish.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers' Pat Freiermuth celebrates with Kenny Pickett after he scored a touchdown against the New York Jets in 2022.
"Talk about some of the versatility of Pat, he's not your traditional tight end where you always have to keep him in line, or you'll always have to put them on point to be the decoy guy. This guy right here, you can walk him off the line of scrimmage and he can be the slot or the secondary guy to Diontae Johnson being the point guy. I love it, love it!"
During the show, Moats shows a video of Freiermuth against the Baltimore Ravens. Moats points out how well Freiermuth can lure the defenders. He doesn't rush, doesn't get overeager, he just slowly lures the defender out to the flat. He knows if he widens his route, the defender will as well.
"Excellent job right there, that's the subtleness of Pat, just understanding what the responsibility is of the coverage. He understands what the defender's responsibility is and then for himself, understands how he can get open. The patience, subtlety, and the athleticism, put him in a great position to get this touchdown."
He is so difficult to cover according to Moats. He has excellent football intelligence, as well as physical talents that he combines to find success. In the next play he runs, he shows Freiermuth being held by a linebacker, you can see the white glove on his outside restricting his movement. Even holding him isn't enough to keep him out of a play and Freiermuth can find separation.
Pittsburgh Steelers YouTube Grillin' N' Chillin'
Steelers' Zach Gentry and Pat Freiermuth pretend to grill hot dogs and teammates on their "show" Grillin' N' Chillin'.
"From there, he creates a separation. This is beautiful, you talk about being open, you talk about being quarterback-friendly, this is quarterback-friendly. This is wide open in the NFL. I love that. It's tough to guard him with a linebacker, but at the same time, it's tough for some of these safeties to guard him because of the speed, the ability to get in and out, and the physicality. Pat's just a really good young tight end in this league."
Moats says the sky is Freiermuth's limit and expects him to improve again this season. How do you think Freiermuth will perform in 2023? Click to comment below!
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