Draft Note by John Paulsen
Freiermuth's 2025 was a disappointing step back. After a TE10 finish in 2024 at 7.3 points per game, he dropped to TE25 at 5.4 points per game despite playing all 16 games—41 receptions for 486 yards and four touchdowns on just 53 targets. The volume cratered, and the ESPN data tells you why: his OPEN score sits at the 4th percentile, meaning he was among the worst in the league at consistently creating separation. The PFF metrics are more forgiving—a 79th-percentile drop rate, 63rd-percentile YPRR, and a high 93rd-percentile slot rate that frames him in a reliable role. The 84th-percentile YAC per reception shows he can still do damage with the ball in his hands. The setup heading into 2026 is interesting. Jonnu Smith is out of the way, which clears the snap count, but Darnell Washington may emerge with the athletic profile to absorb a meaningful chunk of the secondary TE role. Mike McCarthy's offense should be slightly more pass-heavy than recent Pittsburgh attacks, and Aaron Rodgers provides plenty of experience at quarterback.
Pat Freiermuth
- TE
- , Pittsburgh Steelers
- 28
- 258 lbs
- 6' 5"
- Penn State
- 205
- 1
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2026 Draft note
Freiermuth's 2025 was a disappointing step back. After a TE10 finish in 2024 at 7.3 points per game, he dropped to TE25 at 5.4 points per game despite playing all 16 games—41 receptions for 486 yards and four touchdowns on just 53 targets. The volume cratered, and the ESPN data tells you why: his OPEN score sits at the 4th percentile, meaning he was among the worst in the league at consistently creating separation. The PFF metrics are more forgiving—a 79th-percentile drop rate, 63rd-percentile YPRR, and a high 93rd-percentile slot rate that frames him in a reliable role. The 84th-percentile YAC per reception shows he can still do damage with the ball in his hands. The setup heading into 2026 is interesting. Jonnu Smith is out of the way, which clears the snap count, but Darnell Washington may emerge with the athletic profile to absorb a meaningful chunk of the secondary TE role. Mike McCarthy's offense should be slightly more pass-heavy than recent Pittsburgh attacks, and Aaron Rodgers provides plenty of experience at quarterback.
2026 Strength of Schedule - PIT
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 | W14 | W15 | W16 | W17 | W18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 ATL | 24 @NE | 31 CIN | 7 @CLE | 21 IND | 22 @TB | 17 @NO | 7 CLE | BYE | 31 @CIN | 3 @PHI | 25 DEN | 15 HOU | 28 @JAX | 1 BAL | 4 CAR | 20 @TEN | 1 @BAL |
Schedule difficulty based on schedule-adjusted, positional defensive ranking. Top DEF = 1, bottom DEF = 32.
Game Stats
| Week | Opp | Rec | RecYds | RecTD | Tgts | YPR | RuAtt | RuYds | RuTD | Fum | YPC | STD | 0.5 PPR | PPR | Snaps | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @NYJ | 3 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 9.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2.8 | 4.30 | 5.8 | 28/56 | 50.0% |
| 2 | SEA | 3 | 31 | 0 | 4 | 10.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 3.1 | 4.60 | 6.1 | 31/62 | 50.0% |
| 3 | @NE | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 6.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.6 | 1.10 | 1.6 | 38/54 | 70.4% |
| 4 | MIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0 | - | 0.0 | 15/53 | 28.3% |
| 5 | BYE | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | CLE | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 11.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.1 | 1.60 | 2.1 | 21/59 | 35.6% |
| 7 | @CIN | 5 | 111 | 2 | 6 | 22.20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 23.1 | 25.60 | 28.1 | 37/57 | 64.9% |
| 8 | GB | 3 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.3 | 2.80 | 4.3 | 27/63 | 42.9% |
| 9 | IND | 3 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 8.7 | 10.20 | 11.7 | 29/62 | 46.8% |
| 10 | @LAC | 3 | 33 | 0 | 3 | 11.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 3.3 | 4.80 | 6.3 | 26/52 | 50.0% |
| 11 | CIN | 1 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 19.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.9 | 2.40 | 2.9 | 30/65 | 46.2% |
| 12 | @CHI | 3 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 6.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 7.9 | 9.40 | 10.9 | 34/72 | 47.2% |
| 13 | BUF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0 | - | 0.0 | 17/43 | 39.5% |
| 14 | @BAL | 2 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 4.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.9 | 1.90 | 2.9 | 31/52 | 59.6% |
| 15 | MIA | 3 | 45 | 0 | 5 | 15.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 4.5 | 6.00 | 7.5 | 28/66 | 42.4% |
| 16 | @DET | 4 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 5.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2.0 | 4.00 | 6.0 | 32/74 | 43.2% |
| 17 | @CLE | 3 | 63 | 0 | 5 | 21.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 6.3 | 7.80 | 9.3 | 46/66 | 69.7% |
| 18 | BAL | 3 | 51 | 0 | 5 | 17.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 5.1 | 6.60 | 8.1 | 52/75 | 69.3% |
| Per game | 2.41 | 28.59 | 0.24 | 3.18 | 11.85 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 4.27 | 5.48 | 6.68 | 30.71/60.65 | 50.35% | |
| Totals | 41 | 486 | 4 | 54 | 11.85 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 72.6 | 93.1 | 113.6 | 522/1031 | 50.35% | |
