Part of the 2021 draft class, TE Pat Freiermuth and RB Najee Harris have grown in similar ways. Not just on the field but off it. One thing I’ve noticed throughout camp, small as it may seem, is the vocal leadership both are displaying daily at Saint Vincent College.
Their play has been solid. Harris has run hard while Freiermuth has been peppered with targets. They have both more active in practice than I expected, knowing how careful the Pittsburgh Steelers were with Harris last year. Freiermuth is likely to receive a long-term extension before camp and wants to keep himself healthy ahead of it. But that’s not the part that’s impressed me most. It’s how they’ve really stepped up their leadership and built up their teammates throughout practice that’s notable.
Both, I’m sure, were solid teammates before. But this year feels different. Harris has been as vocal as ever. He’s hyping up his running backs, especially the young ones like Aaron Shampklin or FB Jack Colletto when they do well. Or times where he instructs the group behind them, La’Mical Perine, Jonathan Ward, Daijun Edwards, and Shampklin, to finish their rep by running downfield after a carry or touch in the 11 on 11 team period.
But in backs on ‘backers, Harris has been his most intense. Friday night’s practice showed it. He, along with Jaylen Warren (a quieter personality whose play did most of his talking), didn’t back down from LB Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts’ chirping. Queen and Roberts went to set the tone. Harris matched it. And the running backs, though an intense and physical back-and-forth, won the drill again. Harris had successful reps and went crazy when Warren stoned and threw Roberts down on their re-match rep. Later, Harris hyped up Shampklin, who held up against Payton Wilson.
Freiermuth has been less intense but just as loud. It’s not just within his position group, either. Often the first to celebrate when a teammate makes a play, he jogged downfield to dap up WR Van Jefferson after he sprung a key block on a big run play earlier in camp. Or giving Shampklin his due after a hard shoulder into a defender in one practice, a strong finish to his run. Like other camps, Freiermuth is often one of the first tight ends on the field, getting in extra reps and drill work before the first practice horn blares.
These are little things. Ultimately, their season will be judged on their performance. Harris is looking for more explosive runs, ones beyond 20 or 25 yards, and needs an impressive year to peak his market value heading into a contract year. Freiermuth is hoping for better health, blocking, and to be highly involved in Arthur Smith’s offense. If those things don’t happen, this talk about their vocal leadership will be fluff and quickly forgotten. But a team doesn’t become a team based on physical talent alone. There’s an intangible quality. Guys stepping up to lead, rally, and support. Harris and Freiermuth are showing it all.
