The Steelers may have finally found someone to fill the 6-5 void left by legendary tight end Heath Miller. The truth is, though, until the 55th pick of the 2021 NFL draft, they hadn’t tried very hard.
Five tight ends have donned the black & gold since Miller announced his retirement five years ago. Jesse James and Zach Gentry were both fifth-round selections, and Nick Vannett, Vance McDonald and Eric Ebron were each acquired via trade or free agency.
None has come close to duplicating the talent and effort of Miller. If anyone can do it, though, it’s Pat Freiermuth. Like Miller, Freiermuth is a 6-5 vertical threat who can — and will — make the tough catches. He makes up for his lack of athleticism by being physical at the point of attack.
It’s too early in the offseason to say how the Steelers will use the rookie tight end. Generally, a player at that position comes along slowly in the NFL, which could be to Freiermuth’s advantage. The Steelers obviously believe that Freiermuth has a future catching passes — they wouldn’t have drafted him if they didn’t. While his hands are certainly reliable, Freiermuth’s route-running skills leave a lot to be desired.
With all of the receiving weapons and the addition of running back Najee Harris, the Steelers should have the luxury of giving Freiermuth time to sharpen his route-running skills while he acclimates to game speed.
Usage could be a different story once in the red zone — Freiermuth was a scoring machine at Penn State, and it would be a shame to waste that potential.
Miller wasn’t too shabby in the red zone either. By the time he retired in 2015, he had racked up 45 touchdowns to add to 6,569 yards on 592 receptions.
Only time will tell if Freiermuth is the next best (tight end) thing since Miller, but Pittsburgh is the right place to make it happen.
[vertical-gallery id=489274]
[lawrence-related id=489260]