Entering his third season in the NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth finds himself on the cusp of history.
Through two seasons in the league, Freiermuth has recorded 60+ receptions in each season, joining only Keith Jackson as the only tight ends in NFL history to accomplish such a feat. No tight end in NFL history has hauled in 60+ passes in each of his first three seasons though. Freiermuth could do just that in 2023.
Thanks to his consistency overall, tremendous hands and his overall playmaking ability, Freiermuth is a rising star at the position, and is doing so at the young age of 24 years old.
On Thursday, Freiermuth landed on NFL.com’s 2023 NFL All-Under-25 team compiled by NFL.com’s Nick Shook.
Freiermuth edged out Atlanta tight end Kyle Pitts, who was the tight end on the All-Under-25 team last summer.
“While I wait for the Falcons to show me the true potential of Kyle Pitts, who made this team a year ago, I’m including a less heralded — but effective — tight end in Freiermuth. After an encouraging rookie year, Freiermuth set career-high marks in receptions (63) and receiving yards (732) in 2022,” Shook writes regarding Freiermuth’s inclusion on the All-Under-25 team. “He scored just two touchdowns, but likely would have found the end zone more often with better quarterback play. Freiermuth proved he can be counted on, no matter who is throwing it to him (it should be Kenny Pickett from here on out), and I expect him to be a staple of the Pittsburgh offense for a long time, much like Heath Miller was for Ben Roethlisberger.”
Through two seasons, Freiermuth has hauled in 123 passes for 1,229 yards and nine touchdowns. That included a stellar rookie season in 2021 with Ben Roethlisberger under center, hauling in 60 passes for 497 yards and seven touchdowns. In Year 2, Freiermuth increased his receptions to 63 and yards to 732, but the touchdowns didn’t follow as the Steelers had some struggles in the red zone offensively.
Freiermuth certainly is one of the most exciting young tight ends in the NFL, in large part due to his consistency, both from a production standpoint and with his hands in general. He seemingly catches everything and is a chain-moving machine. His 37 receptions that went for first downs last season was fifth-best among tight ends in the NFL.
While Freiermuth did see a dip in production from a touchdowns standpoint, that doesn’t take away from the consistency that Freiermuth has put on display in his first two seasons. He’s a trusty tight end, one who catches anything in his vicinity, serving as that true security blanket for his quarterback. He has a great rapport with Kenny Pickett, and that should only get stronger the more the two get reps together on the field and in big situations.
Though his work as an in-line blocker is passable, it’s certainly not a strength of his game. That’s being relatively generous. With rookie Darnell Washington now in the fold, hopefully his presence as a true in-line beast of a blocker takes away some of Freiermuth’s responsibilities as an in-line blocker. That could free up “Muuuuuth”even more as a receiver, allowing the Steelers to potentially move him around a bit more in 2023 in search of mismatches against linebackers and safeties, which could lead to an even bigger season in 2023.
