Penn State Football tight end Pat Freiermuth was one of the Nittany Lions‘ most prolific weapons in the passing game in recent years, and just might hear his named called in the first-round of the NFL Draft 2021.
Freiermuth, 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, is a matchup nightmare over the middle of the field and has even drawn several comparisons to future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski. In two-plus seasons in Happy Valley, Freiermuth caught 92 passes for 1,185 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Ahead of April’s NFL Draft, Freiermuth is viewed by many evaluators as a potential late first-round pick.
Pro Football Focus is even more complimentary.
The outlet lists Freiermuth as the No. 2 tight end in this year’s class, behind only Florida’s Kyle Pitts — viewed by many as a generational prospect:
Freiermuth is the No. 40 overall prospect in PFF’s first NFL Draft 2021 Big Board:
"Freiermuth isn’t your dynamic field-stretcher, but he should dominate the middle of the field with his size and ball skills. He was a focal point of the Penn State offense in his four games this season, recording 23 catches on 37 targets for 310 yards."
Despite battling through nagging injuries, including a shoulder-injury that ended his season after just four games, Freieruth produced a career-high 83 overall grade from PFF this season.
If Freiermuth performs well during Penn State’s pro day this spring, he could springboard his draft stock even higher than it already is.