Steelers training camp: Pat Freiermuth among players turning heads early

Pat Freiermuth has drawn a lot of buzz early in Steelers training camp. Here are some of the players who have already started to turn heads. 

The Steelers experienced an unusual amount of roster turnover during the 2021 offseason. Despite their best efforts to keep a competitive roster for the upcoming season, Pittsburgh lost a total of eight starters and several key contributors from a season ago.

Fortunately, it appears that others are starting to take the necessary steps towards diving into pivotal roles with the team this year. Najee Harris is one of those players. Since the NFL Draft, all eyes have been on the rookie running back, as fans clearly have big expectations for him. However, since the Steelers training camp started, it has been rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth who has received a remarkable amount of praise.

Freiermuth has caught the attention of the media with his ability to effortless pluck the ball out of the air. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic recently noted on Twitter that Freiermuth has ‘looked good all summer’ including early on in training camp. Early reports are that head coach Mike Tomlin is impressed with what he has seen.

This shouldn’t come as a total surprise, as the Steelers were reportedly very high on Pat Freiermuth entering the 2021 NFL Draft. In fact, there were rumors that he was going to be the selection at pick 24 if Najee Harris would have been off the board.

Others turning heads at Steelers training camp

Pat Freirmuth isn’t the only player turning heads at Steelers training camp. One of the stars of the show early on has been Antoine Brooks. Despite being a strong safety at Maryland prior to be drafted in the 6th round in 2020, Pittsburgh currently lists Brooks as the top nickel cornerback on their initial 2021 depth chart. Brooks recently intercepted Ben Roethlisberger in team sessions and drew a good deal of praise from the media.

Melvin Ingram is another player who has drawn a lot of attention since being signed in free agency. Despite his age and injury concerns (knee), Ingram looked very good in drills and insists that he’s at 100 percent.

Other Steelers will no doubt be joining this list soon as training camp presses on, and I’m sure we are all excited to see some of their young talent in four preseason games this year – something we didn’t get to witness in 2020.

Last year, however, the Steelers got some remarkable play out of their rookie class despite not having a first-round pick. They hope for much of the same this season, as this could be Ben Roethlisberger’s final year with the team.

Though many are skeptical about their chances in 2021, Pittsburgh Steelers fans have plenty of reasons to get excited about the upcoming season. Hopefully, Pat Freiermuth and others can take this progress onto the field with them in September.