ESPN reached out to a variety of NFL executives, coaches and scouts to get their votes for who the 10 best tight ends are currently in the NFL. While we didn’t expect to see Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth make the list we were pleasantly surprised to see him actually get an honorable mention.
Here’s what ESPN had to say about his ranking:
Freiermuth’s proverbial third-season jump into the elite was sabotaged by a hamstring injury and poor quarterback play. He had 32 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.
But it’s what one NFC executive said that really hit home for many of us shouting for Friermuth to get more targets.
“He’s the guy who should be up there,” an NFC exec said. “He’s really skilled and savvy, knows how to get open. Just doesn’t have the production.”
Freiermuth is set to hit free agency at the end of the year and if the Steelers don’t figure out a way to showcase him in the offense, he might be inclined to sign somewhere else. With Dointae Johnson off to the Carolina Panthers, Freiermuth by default becomes the team’s second-best receiving option on the team. It is just a matter of using him.
