They call him Baby Gronk.
At 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth certainly has the frame to be compared to Rob Gronkowski, one of the greatest tight ends to play in the NFL. And as a tight end who can both block and serve as a reliable pass-catching target, it’s easy to see why he received this nickname during his time in college.
His No. 87, the same that Gronkowski wears, makes the comparison easy, too.
Gronkowski obviously is someone who Freiermuth has long admired, along with other great players, such as Travis Kelce and George Kittle, in recent years. Even so, Freiermuth doesn’t necessarily like the moniker he was given.
“(Among) the guys I look up to are obviously Gronk, watching him growing up,” Freiermuth said. “But I don’t like the name Baby Gronk.”
Interestingly enough, Freiermuth mentioned another comparison he’s received is with Tyler Eifert, the Jacksonville Jaguars tight end who played his first seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. As a result, Freiermuth has studied Eifert’s game to see what he can add to his repertoire.
Regardless of nicknames or comparisons, Freiermuth has emerged as a potential Day 2 draft pick and might wind up the second tight end to be taken off the board.
During his three seasons at Penn State, Freiermuth became a go-to red-zone option, scoring 16 receiving touchdowns. Freiermuth has been told NFL teams want him to continue to serve as a receiving threat.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“The consensus is I’m going to be that ‘move’ tight end,” Freiermuth said. “Most of the teams that have talked to me want me at that (position), moving around the ball. … I think it shows they think I’m versatile. But mainly they see me at the (‘move’ tight end). They told me they want me to drop a little weight, so I weighed 251-252 (pounds at Pro Day). That’s probably where I’m going to play at my rookie season, depending on where I go.”
NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranked Freiermuth his 46th overall player and second-best tight end behind Florida’s Kyle Pitts, who has a great chance to be a top-10 player, possibly in the top five.
Jeremiah believes Freiermuth has the potential to be more than just a serviceable tight end in the NFL.
“Freiermuth is a big tight end with toughness and strong/reliable hands,” Jeremiah detailed in his most recent draft rankings report. “In the passing game, he plays in-line, on the wing or flexed out. He is a one-speed route runner, but he has a good feel for setting up defenders and using his big body to wall them off when the ball is in the air. He attacks the ball and flashes the ability to make special one-handed grabs.
“He is physical and fights for extra yards after the catch. He doesn’t offer much top speed or wiggle. He fights to stalemate at the point of attack in the run game, but he will fall off at times. His willingness is apparent. Freiermuth isn’t a dynamic athlete, but he has a good feel for the position and should be a steady, reliable starter.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Freiermuth, however, believes Jeremiah’s belief that he’s a “one-speed route runner” isn’t accurate, which is something he wanted to dispel at last week’s Pro Day during position drills.
“I think one of the misconceptions is I’m a one speed route-runner,” Freiermuth said. “I think that’s completely false. I think I showed that (at Pro Day) where I can accelerate and decelerate. I showed teams I can do those double moves. So I think Pro Day helped me a lot.”
The Falcons do have a need for a tight end, especially when it comes to the future. After the 2021 season, tight end Hayden Hurst might be a free agent if the Falcons don’t exercise his fifth-year option. Lee Smith, who the Falcons recently traded for, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2022. Jaeden Graham, who signed his exclusive-rights free agent earlier this offseason, will be a restricted free agent.
If the Falcons pass on Pitts in the first round, Freiermuth could be an interesting player to keep an eye on. Although teams primarily have expressed a desire to play him as a “move” tight end, his ability to block could be intriguing to coach Arthur Smith, who is looking to rejuvenate the Falcons’ run game.
Freiermuth also believes he will add some intangible qualities to an NFL team, much like he did with the Nittany Lions over the past three seasons.
“I think I’m going to bring consistency and be a leader in the locker room,” he said. “I think all the teams have seen I’ve been a team captain, and most of the guys at Penn State have great things to say about me. I’m going to be that guy who is working it and always listening to teammates. They know what they’re going to get from me — that’s 100% every practice.”
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