The Steelers' concerted effort in the NFL Draft to improve the run game was obvious with all four of their first picks coming on offense for the first time since 1984.
But of those first four, Pat Freiermuth is the one player who has the most question marks around his college performance as to how he'll translate to helping an NFL run game. Najee Harris was the best running back of the class, Kendrick Green was a road grader for Illinois, and Dan Moore Jr. was a physical presence on one of the best offensive lines in the SEC.
Freiermuth made most of his best plays as a receiving threat, which is great for the NFL. But the Steelers also need a tight end who can double as an efficient blocker in the run, something they haven't had since Heath Miller retired in 2015.
Eric Ebron became a decent enough receiving threat for Ben Roethlisberger, catching 56 passes for 558 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The only Steelers tight ends with more receiving touchdowns in a season are Miller, Eric Green and Mark Bruener, all of whom were first round picks like Ebron.
But that's where Ebron's value to the team ends, as he hasn't been a good blocking option to aid the offensive line. Freiermuth definitely possesses the athleticism and receiving skills to be just as dangerous as Ebron in the middle of the field, which is how he ended up setting records at Penn State. He was the target for 27.8 percent of Penn State passes when he was on the field in 2020, which meant the offense ran through him.
He made it look easy getting open, catching the ball and then getting upfield even while dealing with defenders. Here's an example where he caught the ball in the red zone, withstood contact and then finished by going through two defenders for the score:
There's plenty of highlights of that.
And he's not just a tight end who catches the wide open passes, as he's made plenty of contested receptions as well. Here's a touchdown reception of him from 2019, when he caught a pass despite Malik Harrison, a linebacker picked in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Ravens, applying good coverage.
Harrison got out in space, engaged Freiermuth and made sure to get between the him and the quarterback so that the pass had to go over or through him to be caught. But Friermuth's 6-foot-5 height and receiving skills to high-point the ball beat his effort:
OK, you get it, the guy can catch and make plays there.
But can he block? The answer to that question isn't finite yet, simply because he just wasn't asked to do it all that much for the Nittany Lions. Freiermuth has been a primary receiving threat for Penn State the last few seasons, often even lining up in the slot. His sample size for blocking tape is limited compared to others, but there are consistent themes on where the new tight ends coach Alfonso Roberts could get more out of him.
Here's a play where Freiermuth was a key blocker on an important play. It's third-and-short in a spot where if Penn State converted, they beat Michigan. The play was a handoff to K.J. Hamler as Freiermuth came down the line in front of him, lined up Khaleke Hudson and had to blow him up to create space to get the first down. The play resulted in a conversion and Penn State won:
But look closer at the play and you'll see some finer details missed because of the final result.
For one, Freiermuth did his job in getting to his man and walling him off, but he only did so because of his positioning. There was no force brought on his block, and he basically just lunged forward with his body, not applying a strong punch or followthrough on his block.
That won't work nearly as much in the NFL, or against bigger opponents. In fact, earlier in that same game, Freiermuth's blocking effort in similar situations was getting blown up. Watch how he came down the line the same way to block Aidan Hutchinson, a larger defensive end than Hudson was a linebacker.
You can see Hutchinson fully stop Freiermuth's momentum at the point of attack, getting his hands into Freiermuth's chest and blowing him up before shedding him off and making the tackle:
But that's definitely fixable.
For one, Freiermuth refining his blocking technique to use that 6-foot-5 length would do wonders. Instead of just bringing his body along, his bringing his hands to get inside the frame of defenders more consistently would help him win more leverage battles at the line.
And what's great about that is he's already done that on occasion.
Watch this chip block from Freiermuth where went from helping double-team a defensive end to chipping the linebacker and sealing him off to create running lane. Each time you can see Freiermuth keep his head up, using his hands and his natural strength to create the hole at the point of attack:
Those are the types of efforts that can make all the difference to help spring more runs off-tackle.
As the Steelers may change their offense to include more wide zone run schemes under Matt Canada, something Tom Reed advocated for Monday, having proficient blockers on the outside could open up a lot more holes for Harris. Zone blocking schemes often allow for running backs with better vision, like Harris, to assess defensive fronts and find the weak spots to attack.
If Freiermuth can be an asset for the Steelers lining up next to either offensive tackle, it would go a long way to reinvigorating the ground game after being the NFL's worst unit in 2020. From what he did in college, it certainly looks like he has the tools to become that player in the NFL. Now it will come down to how he takes on the challenge in training camp.