Tag: Pat Freiermuth

Rookie Rundown: TE Pat Freiermuth, Penn State

An all-around talent coming back from shoulder surgery.

The traditional “Y” tight end is slowly going extinct in the NFL, but we’ll see it live on for the immediate future. There’s zero doubt Florida’s Kyle Pitts is the king of this year’s tight ends class (and most years, for that matter), but Penn Stater Pat Freiermuth is not terribly far behind.

It all comes down to what teams look for in the position. These two couldn’t be much farther apart in style of play as Pitts is so freakishly athletic that the more well-rounded Freiermuth lags behind in luster.

A highly decorated high school star, Freiermuth contributed immediately as a true freshman for Penn State. He scored eight times on just 26 catches and would receive an honorable mention for All-Big Ten as well as being named to the Freshman All-American team in 2018.

Surprisingly, Freiermuth was not among the 2019 finalists for the John Mackey Award, which is given to the top tight end in the nation. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and was named Penn State’s MVP on offense.

Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 251 pounds
40 time: TBD

A shoulder injury that required surgery after his fourth game in 2020 ended Freiermuth’s junior season, and he did not lift or run at his school’s pro day.

Table: Pat Freiermuth NCAA stats (2018-20)

Year
School
Class
Gm*
Rec
Yds
Avg
TD
2018
Penn State
FR
12
26
368
14.2
8
2019
Penn State
SO
13
43
507
11.8
7
2020
Penn State
JR
4
23
310
13.5
1
Career
92
1,185
12.9
16

*includes postseason/bowl games

No tight end in Penn State history has scored more touchdowns than Freiermuth’s 16, and he proved to be not only efficient but a dangerous weapon down the field.

Pros

  • Played all over the field as an H-back, slot tight end and in the traditional “Y” role
  • Great body control going up for the ball
  • Quality hands and doesn’t let too many get into the pads
  • Size-athleticism combo will immediately catch a scout’s eye
  • Devastating stiff arm
  • Plays with palpable enthusiasm and energy
  • Displays pretty good spatial awareness for the sticks and soft spots in coverage
  • Confident and competitive — was a two-time team captain
  • Above-average natural blocking skills
  • Tough to bring down in the open field — bullies defenders and has just enough of a stutter step to pick up a few more yards
  • Background playing basketball offers coaches some fundamental tools to improve
  • Considerable upside for improvement

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Cons

  • Good but not great athlete who sometimes struggles to shake physical defenders
  • Shoulder injury needs to check out
  • Doesn’t always use his size to his advantage vs. defenders — needs to rely more on his hoops background to box out and keep defenders away from incoming targets
  • Most of his room for growth comes as a blocker — generally gets by on combination of athleticism and willingness. Displays flashes of elite blocking potential and can be molded for improvement by a quality coaching staff

Fantasy football outlook

People will compare Freiermuth in ways to Rob Gronkowski, and some of it is fair, but a more apt comparison is a blend of Jason Witten and Zach Ertz in terms of style and potential career trajectory. Gronkowski will go down as one of the best players at his position and has been in many ways revolutionary for his position.

Witten had a lunch-pail career that will land him in Canton, but for many years he was the top receiver in Dallas due to his crafty routes and above-average athleticism. Ertz is a blend of the those attributes, too, but is probably on pace for the “Hall of Very Good” instead of collecting a yellow jacket. There’s an argument he belongs, but it’s not a slam dunk like with Gronk or Witten.

Loft comparisons, for sure, and the Penn State standout deserves scrutiny, too. Keep all of that in mind as Freiermuth is far from a finished product. He has 29 appearances under his belt, and it remains unclear how the NFL offseason will look for rookies early on. Tight end is typically one of the positions that is slower to develop at the next level when it comes to finding fantasy football success, Freiermuth’s trajectory should be no different.

He is expected to be a second-round selection, but the injury could cause him to fall into Round 3. There are plenty of teams in need of the position, but the best immediate fits would be the Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints.

It’s entirely possible the team that drafts him isn’t on that list, because several other clubs have potential situations developing. Philadelphia, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, the Los Angeles Chargers and the New York Giants all have viable starters in place but could be in the hunt to improve for beyond 2021.

Freiermuth figures to become one of the staples at his position in fantasy football as he finds his way over the next several years. The landscape is currently top-heavy, and he’s capable of battling his way into the top six or so fantasy tight ends by the end of 2022 if everything around him lines up properly.

Jags’ TE corps among weakest position groups in the NFL

Pro Football Focus deemed the Jags’ current tight end group one of the weakest position groups in the entire league.

With all the signings Jacksonville made in free agency to address weaknesses on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, there was one glaring area that was left largely unchanged: the tight end spot. The team made the decision to bring back James O’Shaughnessy while also adding Chris Manhertz from Carolina, who had just six catches during the 2020 season.

There were several high-profile free agent options available, like Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, but the Jags didn’t make a play at either. Now, entering the draft, tight end is the team’s biggest area of need (aside from quarterback, which should be mediated in the draft with the selection of Trevor Lawrence). Not only is it the biggest need for Jacksonville, but the team’s hunger for a long-term answer at tight end is one of the largest needs in all of football, according to a breakdown from Pro Football Focus of the weakest position groups for the entire league.

Jacksonville removed Tyler Eifert and Josh Oliver from its 2020 group at tight end and added former Carolina Panthers tight end Chris Manhertz. Those moves don’t give the team any kind of additional receiving threat at the position. Manhertz’s 52 receiving yards this past season tied for a career-high in his six-year NFL career, and that modest total came despite playing 502 offensive snaps.

“That was a high priority,” Urban Meyer said of the Manhertz signing, per Jaguar Report’s John Shipley. “We have two different styles of tight ends, one is a ‘Y’, which is — on the line, basically an extension of your offensive line, a very good blocker, but also very functional in the pass game.”

To that point, Manhertz did come away with a career-best 69.0 run-blocking grade in 2020 and has improved there every year in the NFL. The Jaguars still lack any kind of receiving threat at the position, though. James O’Shaughnessy stands out as the top option, but he’s coming off just a 57.6 overall grade and 28 catches this past season in Jacksonville.

With Eifert’s departure, Jacksonville can’t afford to enter the 2021 season without adding at least one more player at the tight end position, and that move will likely be made in the draft. There’s a potentially transcendent tight end prospect available in Florida’s Kyle Pitts, but unfortunately for the Jaguars, he’s projected to go in the top-10 according to most mock drafts.

But Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth, who is considered the No. 2 tight end in the class, will likely be available a bit later. He’s projected as a Day 2 pick according to most big boards, and with two picks in the second round, the Jaguars have an excellent chance of coming away with him if they decide to target him. They pick at 33rd and 45th, but they’d be chancing another team selecting him if they waited until their second pick, so it seems likely that the Jags would pull the trigger on Freiermuth with the first pick in the second round, assuming he’s available.

There’s a significant dropoff after Freiermuth, and if the Jags fail to come away with him, tight end will be a position of great concern in 2021, to say the least.

Morning mock draft: Bills select TE in CBS Sports’ latest

Buffalo Bills select TE Pat Freiermuth in CBS Sports mock draft.

The tight end picture in Buffalo would get much more interesting for the Bills if CBS Sports’ latest 2021 NFL Draft projection holds true.

In the outlet’s new mock, the Bills grab Pat Freiermuth off the board. CBS Sports’ guess is one of the first, if not the first time, a tight end went to Buffalo in a 2021 mock draft.

So far in the 2021 pre-draft hype, Kyle Pitts is typically the lone tight end we hear as a first-round pick. In general, tight ends traditionally are not first-round selections at all.

Despite that, the Bills pull the trigger on Freiermuth after Pitts goes at fourth overall. Here’s the breakdown:

The Bills may be taking Freiermuth a bit early here, but he has first-round talent — not to mention he would immediately become the No. 1 tight end in Buffalo. Freiermuth needs to be better at getting separation, but his strength in this offense will be in the red zone — at least for 2021.

As a Round 1 player, Freiermuth would certainly be in the driver’s seat for a No. 1 job in Buffalo, but it’s hard to envision Bills head coach Sean McDermott just handing him one. Dawson Knox and even Jacob Hollister would get their opportunities to take that job.

But the Bills have certainly been in the market for improvement at the position in recent years. Going back, Buffalo pursued Greg Olsen prior to 2020, and recently they reportedly were interested in trading for the Eagles’ Zach Ertz to some degree.

Adding a tight end at the upcoming draft is certainly not out of the realm of possibility for the Bills. But of note: There are no trades in this mock draft. If Freiermuth is on Buffalo’s radar, general manager Brandon Beane might be more interested in trading back to take him.

Freiermuth, a 6-foot-5 target, only played in four games last season. But in 13 games in 2019, he had 43 catches for 507 yards and seven touchdowns. As a freshman, he had eight scores.

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Todd McShay has the Jags going all offense in first 2 rounds

The ESPN analyst has Jacksonville selecting an offensive tackle and two weapons in the receiving game to supplement Trevor Lawrence.

Considering Jacksonville made a number of moves to address its defense, such as signing Shaquill Griffin and Rayshawn Jenkins in the secondary and acquiring Malcom Brown and Roy Robertson-Harris along the defensive line, it will likely use a good percentage of its 10 picks in this month’s draft building around a new quarterback.

The Jags have the first overall pick, and in the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Todd McShay, he doesn’t predict any surprises. Coach Urban Meyer has all but said the team will take quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and McShay concurs.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson

Lawrence is the best quarterback prospect I’ve seen in nearly a decade, and the Jaguars obviously want a game-changer under center as the Urban Meyer era begins. But can they surround the Clemson QB with talent? Jacksonville signed Marvin Jones Jr. in free agency to pair with James Robinson, DJ Chark Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr. in what should be a much-improved offense, but also remember that the Jags have 10 picks, including three more over the first two rounds. Stay tuned!

However, McShay thinks the Jaguars’ aggressiveness on the offensive side of the ball early in the draft won’t end with Lawrence. Jacksonville has four picks in the first two rounds, and McShay thinks it will use all of them to address offense.

Though many would be tempted to use the No. 25 pick (acquired from Los Angeles for Jalen Ramsey) to take a receiver like Kadarius Toney, the team went in a different direction in McShay’s mock. Where the class is less deep is at offensive tackle, and after franchise tagging Cam Robinson, the team may still be looking for a long-term solution. That’s why McShay has them making Oklahoma State tackle Teven Jenkins the fifth to be taken in the first round.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (via LAR)

Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State

We’ve mentioned Jenkins a few times already, but the Jaguars seem like a perfect match. They are investing in Trevor Lawrence as their franchise QB, and you have to protect franchise QBs. Cam Robinson is back on the franchise tag, and Jawaan Taylor is occupying the opposite tackle position, but Jenkins could slide inside to guard as a rookie before eventually taking over an outside role. He can hold his ground against power rushers without issue.

The Jaguars pick again eight picks later with their original second-round pick, and now that they’ve locked up their quarterback of the future and someone to protect his blindside, McShay has them addressing receiver. It’s not exactly the biggest position of need, as D.J. Chark continues to be quite productive early in his career despite uncertainty and instability at the quarterback spot, while Laviska Shenault (and, to a lesser degree, Collin Johnson) impressed as a rookie.

Still, the receiver corps is far from a finished product, and McShay has Jacksonville adding an intriguing weapon at No. 33 in the small-but-speedy Tutu Atwell.

33. Jacksonville Jaguars

Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville

The Jags kick off Round 2 still on board the “Get Trevor Lawrence help” train. Atwell is an undersized yet lightning-quick receiver who can work out of the slot.

Adding Atwell, who saw his production dwindle as a junior but remained one of the ACC’s best weapons, would give the Jags a lot of variety in the passing game. Pairing a player like Atwell with Chark’s size and ball skills and Shenault’s versatility and physicality would certainly be tantalizing for the Jaguars and Lawrence, but there would still be a major area of need on offense.

Notably, a high-profile tight end signing was not among Jacksonville’s offseason moves, implying that it will address the position in the draft. James O’Shaughnessy returns to the team along with new signing Chris Manhertz from Carolina, but aside from that, the cupboard is pretty bare.

The Jaguars have virtually no shot at landing the top tight end in the class, as Florida prospect Kyle Pitts will likely be off the board shortly after the team takes Lawrence. But if McShay is right, the Jags could have the chance to take the No. 2 tight end in the class with their second pick in the second round by selecting Penn State’s Pat Freirmuth.

45. Jacksonville Jaguars (via MIN)

Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State

Four picks on offense in the first two rounds might seem excessive, but the Jags are going to build around Trevor Lawrence, and the Jacksonville offense was one of four in the NFL last season to average fewer than 20 points per game. Freiermuth is a matchup player for offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

McShay’s mock has the team addressing practically every position of need on offense with its first four picks, which would certainly be considered a win for Urban Meyer and Co. With that being said, the Jaguars elected to use their league-high cap space on a number of value signings rather than a smaller number of splashy additions. The team still has holes on defense, especially in the secondary, and with this class not being as deep at many defensive positions as it is on offense, it seems unlikely that Jacksonville doesn’t address that side of the ball in the first two rounds.

NFL Mock Draft: Will Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth be Joe Burrow’s new tight end in Cincinnati?

Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth could be a perfect addition to the Cincinnati Bengals for franchise quarterback Joe Burrow.

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The NFL draft is creeping closer and closer, which means the mock draft gurus are getting better projections made for what players are going where. Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons continues to be a lock to be going in the first round but an impressive showing at Penn State’s pro day figures to only help defensive end Jayson Oweh continue to move himself up the big boards.

But the latest mock draft from Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire has another Nittany Lion going before Oweh, and early in the second round. Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth is projected to be a second-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals according to Schofield’s latest two-round mock draft. After former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer supposedly opts to go with a safety with the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ second-round pick, Freiermuth’s landing spot could be a few picks later with the Bengals, where he would become a big weapon for former Heisman Trophy winner and LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow. Not a terrible spot to be in for Freiermuth, if it plays out this way.

“Wideout could be an option here, with players like Rondale Moore and Amon-Ra. St. Brown available, but with the tight end position a concern in Cincinnati — and this position thinning out as the draft goes on — the Bengals address it now and look to add at the receiver later in the draft,” Schofield said in explaining the logic of drafting Freiermuth for the Bengals.

Meanwhile, Schofield isn’t seeing Oweh rise high enough in the NFL Draft to sniff the first round. Instead, Schofield projects Oweh heading to the Dallas Cowboys with the 44th overall pick.

“Some teams might be scared off by the lack of production in 2020 — zero sacks will do that — but turning on his film you do see how he can be a productive pass rusher off the edge in the NFL,” Schofield explained. “Plus, his incredible pro day testing is going to see his stock rise.”

Schofield did mention that pro day stock could help elevate Oweh’s draft position and there is a chance he may not be available for the Cowboys with the 44th pick.

As for Parsons, the Penn State linebacker is still being projected to go to the Denver Broncos with the No. 9 pick. The Broncos have widely been expected to be the most likely landing spot for Parsons according to multiple mock drafts that continue to be updated.

Check out the entire two-round mock draft from Touchdown Wire to see who your favorite NFL team may be drafting in April.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter @NittanyLionWire. Like Nittany Lions Wire on Facebook.

PHOTOS: Penn State’s first round NFL draft picks since joining the Big Ten

What Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said about Penn State pro day

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was impressed by what he saw at Penn State’s pro day leading up to the 2021 NFL draft.

Under the direction of head coach James Franklin, Penn State football players have developed quite the reputation in NFL combine style events. The latest exhibition of NFL talent coming out of Happy Valley was in the spotlight this week with Penn State’s pro day event.

With linebacker Micah Parsons expected to be a lock for a first-round draft pick and defensive lineman Jayson Oweh continuing to surge up various big boards, Penn State’s pro day event was one to be paying close attention to in the NFL draft cycle. And with 31 NFL teams having representation in State College, the eyes of the NFL were definitely plugged in. The only NFL team not represented in Happy Valley was the Los Angeles Rams.

Among those on hand for Penn State’s pro day was Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, and he certainly seemed to come away impressed with the display of talent brewing in Happy Valley.

“This is a freak show out here,” Tomlin said when reacting to Penn State’s pro day.

As noted by Steelers Wire, the Steelers have a few Penn State players that could be potential targets for the AFC franchise. Parsons and Oweh would certainly be good fits in Pittsburgh gold and black, but Pittsburgh may be in a position to make a run at tight end Pat Freiermuth as well. Considering Tomlin was joined by tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts, who ran some drills with Freiermuth at pro day, it sure looks like the Steelers could be looking to use a pick on the Nittany Lions tight end.

The Steelers have the 24th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Parsons is expected to be gone by then, but most mock drafts seem to have Oweh and Freiermuth available for sure by the time the Steelers make a pick. The Steelers also have the 55th overall pick and could use one on either Oweh or Freiermuth if still available.

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PHOTOS: Penn State’s first round NFL draft picks since joining the Big Ten

Re-evaluating the Jags’ needs after Week 1 of free agency

It’s a over a week past free agency and the Jags roster is improved. However, they still have a lot of needs to address in the draft.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer and his staff have wrapped up one of the most important parts of his first season as an NFL head coach, and that’s the first week of free agency. Typically, that’s the timeframe where the most significant additions are made to the roster, and also the point where fans and the front office can gauge the team’s biggest needs heading into the draft.

In early January, we assessed the Jags’ needs heading into free agency. With the free agency additions made over the last week-plus, we’ve now re-evaluated those needs to give fans an idea of what the Jags can do in the draft.

From their biggest needs to their minor ones, here is how we’ve ranked the Jags’ needs heading into the draft:

Podcast: Diving deeper into Jags Wire’s latest 7-round mock

Jags Wire James Johnson and Phil Smith go over their newest mock for the Jags as the first week of free agency is over.

In this week’s episode of “Bleav in the Jaguars,” Jags Wire contributor Phil Smith and myself started things off re-ranking the Jacksonville Jaguars’ needs  now that free agency has been ongoing for over a week. Overall, there were eight needs discussed though some weren’t as pressing as others.

Afterward, we dove deeper into the recent mock draft released on Jags Wire this week. It’s one that knocked out all eight of the needs we discussed before hand and utilized all 10 Jags selections.

The full episode can be heard below in the media player, while our archived episodes can be revisited here.

Feel free to subscribe to “Bleav in the Jags” via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.

Giants’ Joe Judge attends wildly impressive Penn State Pro Day

New York Giants head coach Joe Judge was in person for an incredibly impressive PSU pro day that featured a lot of Sean Spencer praise.

Penn State players absolutely showed out during their official pro day on Thursday, and New York Giants head coach Joe Judge was front and center for all of the action.

Judge watched on as 2021 NFL draft hopefuls such as linebacker Micah Parsons, defensive end Shaka Toney, edge rusher Jayson Oweh and tight end Pat Freiermuth put on a show.

And we’re not kidding. Numbers across the board will raise the draft stock of several PSU players.

Beyond just the numbers, several Penn State players offered up high praise for Giants defensive line coach Sean Spencer, who held that position at PSU from 2014-2019.

There was a lot to take away from the performance of the players and their comments, but one thing is for certain: don’t be surprised if the Giants target a Penn State player over the first three rounds of the draft.

The connection to Spencer is strong, but the versatility and athleticism of PSU players is what will attract Judge & Co.

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Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast: Today is Penn State pro day

Today is an incredibly important day for a handful of former Nittany Lions looking to make the move to the NFL. Today is Penn State’s pro day, with eight players participating in the event as NFL scouts and coaches observe what they have to offer. …

Today is an incredibly important day for a handful of former Nittany Lions looking to make the move to the NFL. Today is Penn State’s pro day, with eight players participating in the event as NFL scouts and coaches observe what they have to offer.

While linebacker Micah Parsons is pretty much locked in to being a first-round pick and Jayson Oweh and Pat Freiermuth are definitely going to be drafted in the upper half of the draft, the pro day event could be even more important for players like Lamont Wade and Steven Gonzalez.

How to watch Penn State football’s 2021 pro day

Also discussed in today’s episode is a story posted on 247 Sports this week circling one game on each preseason top 25 team’s schedule. It isn’t much of a surprise which school appears to be Penn State’s biggest opponent this season. But what top 25 teams might have Penn State circled on their schedule?

We also touch on the Big Ten’s announcement from Wednesday regarding attendance policies for the remainder of the spring sports schedules, and where we could be heading for the fall around the conference and at Penn State.

Follow Locked On Nittany Lions on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and wherever else you get your podcasts. Or, you can catch today’s episode below and listen in your browser.

Follow us on Twitter @NittanyLionWire and like us on Facebook for continuing coverage and commentary on the Nittany Lions.

Penn State Nittany Lions 2021 Football Schedule