Ranking all 8 of the Steelers rookie play so far in 2021
By Andrew Falce
Steelers Pat Freiermuth
Easily the Steelers’ most surprising and impressive rookie this season, Pat Freiermuth screams top tight end by as early as next season. The rookie hasn’t been an elite player yet, but his sure hands, good routes, and above-average blocking have made him a perfect fit for this team. Considering how tough it is for tight ends to develop at the pro level, Freiermuth’s early success is that much more impressive.
Most expected Freiermuth to be a complementary player to Eric Ebron this season given the usual issues rookie tight ends have in the league. It was apparent early on that the Steelers had something though, as a snap split quickly gave way to Freiermuth playing the majority of snaps at tight end. Now, Ebron is an afterthought in this offense (that is when he’s healthy) and Freiermuth has become the security blanket in the passing game.
He hasn’t been perfect; his blocking has had some misses and he hasn’t been dynamic as a receiver, but he has far exceeded the expectations he had when his rookie season began. By all accounts, his play has been better than any of the other rookies, and besides maybe Moore and Norwood, he has exceeded the expectations most had for the rookie. Freiermuth has been a bright spot on this offense and has a bright future in the league no matter who is throwing him the ball.
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The Steelers have gotten an unprecedented amount of quality play from their rookies this season, and while not all of it has been perfect, the team should be excited about their futures. While the backend needs to pick it up a little, the fact that the team has been this successful despite so many snaps going to unproven players is impressive. This list can and will change by year’s end, but as of now, this is the list of the best Steelers rookies from this past draft class.