5 first round NFL Draft prospects Steelers are going to fall in love with
By Tommy Jaggi
TE Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
The Steelers haven’t taken a tight end in the first round since doing so in 2005 for Heath Miller. However, it certainly worked out of Pittsburgh the last time they invested this much capital at the position. Eric Ebron and Vance McDonald both have unreasonably large cap hits in 2021, and it’s possible that Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert could agree to move on from both.
If they do so, Patt Freiermuth is a real possibility and someone Pittsburgh’s brass should love. In addition to being a local product that Steelers scouts have no doubt had their eyes on, Freiermuth is as tough as nails on the football field. At 6’5” and 258 pounds, the big tight end isn’t going to wow anyone with his speed and burst, but he’s a violent blocker who catches pretty much everything thrown in his direction.
It’s not hard to draw similarities between Pat Freiermuth and Heath Miller as they both projected as prototype ‘Y’ tight ends in the NFL who would do most of their work tight against the formation. After the struggles to assist with run blocking at the tight end position, Freiermuth would provide an instant upgrade here. Picking him in the first round might seem a little rich, but he has the skill set to be a long-time NFL starter.