NFL player comparisons for Pittsburgh Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth

The Steelers are really high on rookie tight end, Pat Freiermuth. Here are his high-end, low-end, and most likely player comparisons in the NFL. 

After wanting the Steelers to invest high in a tight end in the NFL Draft for the better part of a decade, they finally did so in 2021 with Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth. The big tight end played three seasons in college and is still a fairly raw player, but he has upside as both a receiver and a blocker.

For the Nittany Lions, Freiermuth was a physical presence over the middle of the football field and offered a little spark after the catch. Though he still needs to be more consistent from play to play, Freiermuth flashed the ability to be dominant at the catch point as well as a mauler in the run game.

Many fans are wondering who Pat Freiermuth will be in the NFL. While don’t think it’s fair to give him the “Heath Miller” comparison, there are some other quality tight ends that he could end up being a very similar player to in the NFL. Here are Pat Freiermuth’s best high-end, low-end, and most likely comparisons in the NFL:

High-end NFL comparison: Hunter Henry

Some of you might have been hoping for a high-end comparison that is… well, a little more “high-end” than Hunter Henry. However, I would argue that Henry is one of the top tight ends in the league when healthy. Obviously, I’m not taking injury history into consideration here, as Henry has never played a full 16-game season in his first 5 years in the league.

However, Freiermuth shares a very similar playstyle to Henry. Both tight ends have remarkably similar size (6’5”, 250 pounds), and can win inline or from the slot. While not the most athletic in the league at their position, they are natural football players who can win over the middle of the field and still offer plenty as blockers. If all goes well for Freiermuth, his play could very much be on par with Hunter Henry. Hopefully, he could be a healthier version of this player.