2021 NFL Draft: Bears land top pick in preseason 2021 NFL mock draft
By Kyle Edmond
2021 NFL Draft Round 1, Pick 22 (Indianapolis Colts, 11-5)
Pat Freiermuth. 22. player. 46. Pick Analysis. Tight End. Penn State. Scouting Report
We were just recently exposed to what the Colts can do with multiple tight ends, having both Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle contribute a year ago. Now with Ebron gone, the Colts might be in the market for another young tight end.
The other side of this is the quarterback. If Philip Rivers returns to Indianapolis beyond this season, this pick makes even more sense. Rivers has loved tight ends in his career with Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry and could be lobbying for the team to draft another should he return.
For the Colts, taking Pat Freiermuth makes almost too much sense for more than the above reasons. He has the ability to catch and block, which fits perfectly into what Indianapolis is trying to do on the offensive side with a balanced approach. If he falls to the Colts, they almost have to take him.
Although Freiermuth hasn’t wracked up yards upon yards, never topping 525 receiving yards in a season so far at Penn State, he is still worth the pick. This is because of his red zone prowess, which is where his value comes from. In his two seasons at Penn State Freiermuth has 15 touchdowns, hauling in eight his freshman year and seven his sophomore year.