Steelers scouting report: TE Pat Freiermuth is well-rounded, but unspectacular

Projected role for the Steelers

Freiermuth will immediately begin his career as the number two tight end in Pittsburgh – a job he really won’t even need to compete for, as he is heads and shoulders above players like Zach Gentry or Kevin Rader. However, his role with the team could be a bit limited from the gate.

I expect Eric Ebron to handle most of the tight end duties in ’11’ personnel this year, with Freiermuth operating at the ‘Y’ tight end in ’12’ personnel. Ebron is not much of a blocker at all, so Pat’s immediate role is probably going to be limited to mostly being a blocker.

Ebron is on a voidable-year contract that technically expires after the 2021 season. This likely means that Freiermuth could move to a full-time TE1 role in 2022 as the every-down tight end for the Steelers. It’s certainly a safe bet to assume that he will play a much larger role in the passing game in 2022 than he will as a rookie this year.

The Steelers are really high on Pat Freiermuth, and they love the well-balanced skill set he brings to the table. While he does possess the traits to do a little bit of everything, Freiermuth doesn’t excel at any one particular area. I expect him to be a solid, yet unspectacular tight end who can get the job done, but will never be considered an elite player for his position.