Steelers Scouting Profile: Is Pat Freiermuth the next Heath?

Freiermuth’s Cons

While there is a lot to like about his game, Freiermuth’s pure athleticism isn’t great. Kyle Pitts is the pinnacle of receiving threats and it shows on tape with sharp routes and speed. Freiermuth is lacking both. His long speed was an issue in Nebraska where he blew past coverage and was wide open deep. The pass was a little short, but he had plenty of space to run the ball and was ultimately tracked down before finding the end zone.

He isn’t a putrid athlete by any means, but he isn’t the natural speed threat like a Pitts or a Noah Fant from a few years before. Even more concerning is his route running. Specifically, in his game against Michigan, Freiermuth seemed to round off some routes and get lazy in some cuts. Granted he wasn’t seeing the targets he normally did, but his routes were far from impressive. Since he won’t win with speed at the next level, he will need to sharpen his routes to maximize his game.

Finally, and this isn’t necessarily a con, but I think Freiermuth’s quarterback play hindered him. There were quite a few passes underthrown or off the mark that limited the production that Freiermuth could have had. For Example the long catch against Nebraska, that pass was underthrown. Had Freiermuth caught that in stride, he would have likely scored. This isn’t a direct negative towards him, but it is worth noting.