(Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Steelers rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth is blossoming into a potential star in Pittsburgh. In the last two games, Freiermuth has three red-zone touchdowns, two of which were contested catches and one of them was a game-winner at Cleveland. In addition, all four of Freiermuth's touchdown receptions this year have come in the red zone.
Freiermuth had 13 touchdown receptions and no drops in the red zone during his career at Penn State, according to Pro Football Focus. This is looking like a great draft class by Kevin Colbert.
Ben Roethlisberger said on Wednesday that he had no idea who Freiermuth was when the Steelers drafted him in the second round. Roethlisberger's former offensive coordinator and current head coach of the Buccaneers, Bruce Arians, was the first to give him information on the talented tight end out of Penn State.
Roethlisberger was out to dinner with his wife and got the ESPN alert on his phone that the Steelers selected Freiermuth. Shortly after Arians texted Roethlisberger, “He’s the closest thing to Heath Miller I’ve ever seen. You’ll love this kid.”
“That was enough for me,” Roethlisberger said.
Miller, who's a two-time Super Bowl champion and the all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards for a tight end in Steelers' history, was at Heinz Field on Monday night and was seen talking with Freiermuth before to the game.
Freiermuth had two red-zone touchdowns in the win over the Bears on Monday night. So perhaps Miller is a good luck charm. Roethlisberger said Freiermuth told him in the fourth quarter to ask Miller if he can come to every game.
The Steelers struggled to find Miller's replacement after he retired following the 2015 season. Six seasons later, it appears that the Steelers finally got their guy for the future.