(Photography by Steelers.com)
No one has been able to replace tight-end Heath Miller since he retired from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016. Eric Ebron played pretty well last season, but it was just one season for the organization. The problem with Ebron is not in regards to catching the football. The issue is his blocking. He is just not an exceptional blocking tight end like the Pittsburgh Steelers are used to seeing on the football field and that is ok going forward for Ebron because as long as he is making plays and getting touchdowns then he is doing what the Steelers brought him in for. Now the Steelers will bring in not only a good receiving tight end, but an exceptional blocker in Pat Freiermuth heading into the 2021 season.
Picking Freiermuth in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft did raise the eyebrows of many draft experts after they took a first-round running back. It wasn't surprising to us because we knew the Steelers needed a tight end who can not only make plays but block at the same time. Especially if the Steelers want to start running the ball down the road effectively. Freiermuth is on the record saying he would like to do everything in Pittsburgh whether that is catching, blocking or being a decoy on the football field whatever the Steelers want him to do he is willing to do in order to make the team successful down the road.
Eric Ebron feels Freiermuth is going to be successful during his time in Pittsburgh. Especially with what he has seen from him during his time at Mini-Camp. He finds it to be reasonable for Pat Freiermuth to be able to do everything as he says on the football field.
Ebron says, “Pat’s going to be good, man. Pat’s going to be pretty good, I’m excited to see him grow as a tight end. To me, he’s just a smooth playmaker. He’s silky smooth. He doesn’t look like he’s trying too hard, and he’s capable of a lot.”
Should Freiermuth go from Baby Gronk to 'Silky Smooth?' I know he doesn't like to be compared to Gronk so why not give him his own nickname down the road? I think it would just be easier to scream MUUUUUUTTHHHH when he catches a touchdown, to be honest, but I will digress on that topic.
Ebron feels Freiermuth is going to be able to dominate on the football field in the near future. He believes very highly of his new teammate even though he is a rookie and will continue to treat him that way until his first season is over with. If everything plays according to the way the Steelers view Pat Freiermuth they could have possibly just found their replacement to Heath Miller down the road if Freiermuth can stay healthy on the football field. Only time will tell how good Freiermuth can be on the football field. We will just need to watch and see how it plays out during his time in Pittsburgh.