Pat Freiermuth Selected No. 55 by Pittsburgh Steelers in Second Round of NFL Draft

Story posted April 30, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports by Logan Bourandas

A season-ending shoulder injury wasn’t enough to knock Pat Freiermuth out of the second round.

The 22 -year-old tight end was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft Thursday night.

Freiermuth entered the season last year as one of the top tight end prospects in the country before having his season cut short. He only played in four games last season where he had 310 receiving yards and one touchdown.

During the shortened campaign, however, Freiermuth posted a career high in receiving yards against Nebraska with 113 yards on seven catches. The Nebraska game would be the last of Freiermuth’s college career.

Freiermuth received praise as one of the top playmakers in the country after his last full season in 2019. He had 507 receiving yards and seven touchdowns during the 2019 season that was capped off by the Nittany Lions’ win in the Cotton Bowl over Memphis.

During that Memphis game, Freiermuth ended his season with a bang, as he recorded one of the highlight plays of the season. On a short pass from Sean Clifford, Freiermuth stiff-armed his way down to the 1-yard line before the Nittany Lions extended their lead in the Cotton Bowl.

Now, Freiermuth will get a chance to showcase his talents in the NFL as he looks to continue Penn State’s recent success of creating tight end talent. With Mike Gesicki getting drafted back in 2018, Freiermuth will look to emulate some of Gesicki’s early pro success.

Logan Bourandas is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.