2020 NFL Draft: Pat Freiermuth could cash in on weak TE class

Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth could cash in on a weak 2020 NFL Draft class at the tight end position by declaring after his sophomore season.

The 2020 NFL Draft is going to be absolutely riveting at the quarterback position, that much we know to be true. But what about other position groups?

What about tight end?

In the 2019 NFL Draft, we saw two tight ends from the same school (TJ Hockenson, Noah Fant; Iowa) go in the first round. As a matter of fact, those two went in the top 20 selections. As we prepare for the 2020 NFL Draft, evaluators are singing a bit of a different tune.

There are not many mock drafts out there with a tight end even going in the first round at all, unless it’s at the bottom of the round to the New England Patriots.

Washington’s Hunter Bryant, a Mark Andrews-type of receiving tight end, is typically considered the best tight end in the 2020 class, but there’s not a whole heck of a lot behind him at this point. There may be some money to be made there for Penn State sophomore tight end Pat Freiermuth, who has 15 touchdowns and counting in his first two seasons with the Nittany Lions.

Freiermuth recently confirmed his NFL eligibility.

The 6-foot-5, 256-pound Freiermuth spent five years in high school, and according to one report, the fifth year he spent in high school was a ‘prep year’. This would be the first time we’ve ever seen anything like that, but Freiermuth is, in fact, 21 years old and a year ahead of most other true sophomores.

The fact that Freiermuth has been looking into his NFL eligibility should tell you all you need to know, and the fact that it’s blatantly obvious how devoid this 2020 class is of talent at the tight end position gives us more than enough reason to believe he’s going to seriously consider leaving the Penn State program after just two years on campus, something that’s unprecedented for someone who wasn’t a JUCO transfer.