Pat Freiermuth has had an impressive start to his NFL career. The former Penn State product was selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and has become one of the only tight ends in history to earn at least 60 receptions in each of his first two seasons.
While Freiermuth has subtly climbed in the tight end rankings among the mainstream NFL media, it looks like he is finally starting to earn the respect that he deserves as we get set for the 2023 season.
This week, Madden has been slow releasing their player ratings, and there has been a lot of controversy involving the overall ratings of Steelers players this year. T.J. Watt, for example, was rated 4 overall points lower than fellow edge defenders Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett, while Minkah Fitzpatrick fell two 2 rating points short of being the top safety on the game.
Now it seems that Madden NFL 24 has finally released a player rating we can all get behind. On Thursday, the iconic video game franchise released the ratings of every NFL tight end. Pat Freiermuth ended up being the 8th-best player at the position with an overall rating of 85.
Top 🔟 Tight Ends in the game 🎮 #Madden24 pic.twitter.com/3Sof9syyl3
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 20, 2023
This makes Freiermuth the highest-graded offensive player on the team so far -- topping fellow skill players like Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Najee Harris. Freiermuth's rating is even 6 overall points higher than top free-agent signing, Isaac Seumalo.
Just ahead of Freiermuth in the tight end rankings are Dallas Goedert (89 overall), Kyle Pitts (87), and Darren Waller (86). While there is some room for debate here, most Steelers fans would agree that overall rank is at least reasonable. Interestingly, T.J. Hockenson -- who possesses a very similar skill set as Freiermuth -- was given an overall grade of 90 (4th-best on the game).
How high could the Steelers tight end climb?
Considering that Freiermuth is just a 24 year-old-player getting set to enter his third NFL season, this is a very respectable grade. With roster updates throughout the season, it stands to reason that his grade is only going to increase.
While Madden ratings certainly aren't everything, fans often use them as a baseline to compare one player to another at the same position. Freiermuth isn't the most dynamic athlete (this was reflected in his 83 speed and 77 agility scores), but he's an incredibly natural football player who simply does a lot of things at a high level -- one of the most important is consistently catching the ball in traffic over the middle of the field.
Freiermuth has missed time with concussions in each of his first two seasons. Prior to his concussion in 2022, he was on track to have over 900 receiving yards on the season. If he can stay healthy for all 17 games in 2023, Freiermuth could see a true breakout season.
Many already view the Pittsburgh Steelers tight end as a top 10 player in the NFL at his position, and some would argue that he's as high as 5th overall. If he can take another step forward in 2023, Freiermuth could enter the discussion for one of the best tight ends in the National Football League. He should be a go-to target for Kenny Pickett this year.