(Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
Both linebacker Micah Parsons and defensive end Jayson Oweh were the highlights of the Penn State pro day with their impressive forty times. Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert were in Happy Valley to see it, but they also had their eyes on Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth, who's projected to get drafted in the second round. In fact, tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts worked out Freiermuth at the pro day.
The Steelers need a tight end that's able to block and being a receiving threat, and Freiermuth certainly fits the bill. The Steelers haven't had a tight end that could do both consistently since Heath Miller retired following the 2015 season.
Freiermuth said he has known Roberts for a while, according to Nick Farabaugh of Steelers Now.
"You know that's my guy," Freiermuth said of Roberts. "We've met a couple of times. He's a guy I'd really like to play for."
Freiermuth also said that he would love to play for the Steelers and it was an honor to see Tomlin and Colbert watch him at his pro day. Freiermuth also said that he met with Tomlin and Colbert a few days ago.
Below is a scouting report on Freiermuth by The Draft Network.
"Pat Freiermuth projects as an impact receiving tight end at the professional level. Freiermuth has a prototypical build for the tight end position and ample ceiling as a blocker to continue to develop into a quality asset with his hand in the dirt in the run game. But today’s NFL is ultimately rooted in the passing game and tight ends are the new-age mismatch weapons that put defensive play-callers in a bind. Freiermuth can be that caliber of a receiver thanks to his blend of size, hands, route-running, and physicality in the secondary. Freiermuth burst onto the scene as a freshman at Penn State and incrementally became a bigger piece of the passing offense, culminating in 2020 with several high-production contests before a shoulder injury ended his season prematurely and forced him to undergo surgery. The medicals here will be something NFL teams must vet, as well as exploring his lack of development as a blocker. As Freiermuth has developed his body and added muscle during his time at Penn State, the assumption was that he would continue to progress as an in-line blocker; but we never really saw that leap in that chapter of his game, even once he returned for the 2020 season. But Freiermuth’s value to an NFL franchise won’t be rooted in run blocking; it will be in his versatility as a receiver and the mismatches he’ll win in coverage. That is where the value for tight ends lies anyway, so the deductions on Freiermuth’s pre-draft evaluation for blocking are only marginal. He still feels destined to be an impact player in an NFL offense."
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