CLEVENLAND – Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth was selected in the second round (55th overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL Draft on Friday night.
Freiermuth joins Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons (12th overall, Dallas Cowboys) and defensive end Jayson Oweh (31st overall, Baltimore Ravens) as the 2021 Nittany Lion draft picks.
A total of 364 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft, which ranks seventh among Division I institutions. Penn State has had 47 draft picks since 2010. A total of 29 Nittany Lions have been drafted since head coach James Franklin's arrival to the program, including 20 in the last four years.
Pat Freiermuth ∙ TE ∙ 6-5, 251 ∙ Merrimac, Mass. ∙ Brooks School
Freiermuth is the first Penn State tight end to be selected since Mike Gesicki went in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft to the Miami Dolphins. He becomes the 21st Penn State tight end to be picked in the NFL Draft.
Freiermuth is the 28th Penn State player to be drafted by Pittsburgh and the first since Marcus Allen (5th round, 148th overall in 2018).
"The Pittsburgh Steelers just drafted a guy who loves to play the game of football," said Franklin. "Pat is a coach's dream and we expect him to bring immediate value to the Steelers. We sincerely appreciated Pat's commitment to our program at Penn State. From day one, he was a culture-driver who led by example on and off the field as a two-time team captain. His on-field success was well documented as an All-American, All-Big Ten performer and Big Ten Tight End of the Year this past season, despite only playing four games due to an injury. He will go down as one of the best tight ends in Penn State history and will be a dominant red zone threat in the NFL. None of his accomplishments surprise us as Pat comes from a football family that just 'gets it'."
"Pat is the epitome of an Ace, excelling in the game of football in all phases, as a pass catcher, run blocker and protector," said Penn State tight ends coach Ty Howle. "He has a tremendous football IQ and takes pride in his personal development on and off the field. Pat gave us tremendous flexibility at Penn State to utilize the tight end position. I am excited for Pat's future in the NFL!"
Pat Freiermuth Bio
- Two-time team captain.
- Appeared in 30 career games, making 26 starts.
- Named the 2020 Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year, the first ever PSU tight end to win the award.
- 2019 Second Team All-American by the AFCA and The Athletic.
- Owns the record for PSU career touchdown receptions by a tight end with 16.
- Finishes his career tied for eighth all-time at Penn State with 16 career touchdown receptions with O.J. McDuffie (1988-92).
- Tallied 1,185 career receiving yards to rank 26th overall and third among tight ends in program history
- Owns 92 career receptions, tied for 20th all-time at PSU.
- Finished career catching a pass in 29-straight games, dating back to the Pitt game (9/8/18), a school-record among tight ends.
- Became the 34th Nittany Lion and seventh Penn State tight end to accumulate 1,000 career receiving yards.