Pittsburgh Steelers’ tight end Pat Freiermuth took the NFL by storm as a rookie in 2021, doing something many rookie tight ends haven’t done in the last decade or so: putting up significant numbers right away in an NFL offense.
Historically, the tight end position features the largest learning curve in the NFL, as tight ends coming from college to the NFL struggle to adjust to the game quickly, resulting in subpar seasons overall before taking a significant jump in Year 2.
That wasn’t the case for Freiermuth last season, who hauled in 60 receptions for 497 yards and seven touchdowns last season from Ben Roethlisberger in what was ultimately the final year with the Steelers for the future Hall of Fame quarterback.