At the tight end position in the NFL, there’s the big three — Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Mark Andrews — and then everybody else.
Usually, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth isn’t too far off from those guys in the “everybody else” category within the top 10 at the position.
Coming off two straight 60-plus catch seasons that make NFL history with Keith Jackson as the only tight ends in NFL history to have 60-plus receptions in each of their first two seasons in NFL, Freiermuth is largely regarded as a burgeoning star at the position, especially from a pass-catching perspective.
But then ESPN’s positional rankings survey from Jeremy Fowler dropped Thursday, and at the tight end position NFL executives, coaches and scouts were largely split on Freiermuth’s status at the position, with some executives not ranking him in the top 10, and none putting him higher than No. 6 in the rankings.
Overall, Freiermuth landed at No. 9 at the position.
One NFL coordinator really likes Freiermuth, giving him the ultimate praise.
“The guy is just a football player — savvy route runner, good hands, will mix it up as a blocker,” an NFL coordinator told Fowler.
One AFC scout, while believing Freiermuth is a solid player, stated to Fowler that he believes he’s a bit overrated considering where he plays, what his style is and where he went to college.
“He’s solid — probably gets more love than he should because he plays for the Steelers and is local [Penn State] and has a Heath-ish [Miller] aura about him,” a veteran AFC scout said to Fowler.
Freiermuth does get a lot of love in the area — and for good reason. He’s everything the Steelers want at the position in the new age of the NFL. He’s a good route runner, has great hands and is as tough as they come over the middle. He has some issues as a blocker in-line, but that hasn’t stopped him from ascending into the No. 1 TE role quickly in Pittsburgh, becoming a favorite target for former QB Ben Roethlisberger and now second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett.
In his first two seasons, Freiermuth hauled in 123 passes for 1,229 yards and nine touchdowns. That included a stellar rookie season in 2021 with 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.
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. While his blocking is passable, it’s certainly not a strength of his game. With rookie Darnell Washington now in the fold, that likely takes away some of Freiermuth’s responsibilities as an in-line blocker, which could free him up even more as a receiver.
Even with some of the struggles from the team in the red zone, Freiermuth is money in that area when given a chance. In fact, all nine of Freiermuth’s touchdowns have come in the red zone, which is tied for the fifth-most among tight ends in that area over the past two seasons.
While he isn’t one of the very best tight ends in the league, he’s a top 10 at the position with a chance to come near the top five with a strong 2023 season. He’s proven to be a heady tight end with overlooked athleticism and burst at the top of his route with some of football’s most reliable hands. But ranking him at No. 9 behind the likes of Jacksonville’s Evan Engram and even Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts based on actual production is a swing and a miss by the ESPN survey.
