For most veterans, it’s not a great sign when their team drafts a player at the same position in the second round. That’s what happened to Eric Ebron when the Steelers drafted Pat Freiermuth in 2021, just one year after Ebron joined the team.
Not all players would handle that situation the same way. But Ebron knew what it meant for his career. He spoke about making an effort to help Freiermuth as much he could.
“I get to Pittsburgh, and my first year, we snap. My second year, we draft Freiermuth. I already kind of know what that mean,” Ebron said this week on the Raw Room podcast. “So Freiermuth comes in and I tell him, ‘Hey bro, I’m gonna do what my OG should have did to me. I’m gonna tell you everything I know. ‘Cause if this is my last year here, what good is the information that I got if I can’t share it with you?’ So Pat, he was my little homie, bro. He nice as fuck. And he was like my first little brother.”
Ebron’s first year in Pittsburgh was a solid one. He came from Indianapolis for the 2020 season and caught 56 passes for 558 yards and five scores on a team which won the division with a 12-4 record. However, with Pittsburgh selecting Freiermuth early in the draft the next year, he knew his time might be up.
It always seemed like Pat Freiermuth would eat away at those snaps. But injuries caused that to happen even sooner than some expected. Ebron dealt with both knee and hamstring injuries during the 2021 season. It gave Freiermuth an opportunity to carve out a role pretty early. He was just shy of 500 receiving yards in his rookie year and improved even more in his second season with 732.
It helps rookies to have mentors willing to give guidance. It certainly helped Freiermuth transition to the NFL level. He quickly became a fan favorite and looked like a key part of the offense after his sophomore year. Freiermuth missed some time in 2023 but rebounded with over 600 receiving yards in 2024.
The 2025 season was quieter than expected, which was odd with a contract extension not too far in the rearview mirror. But heading into the 2026 season, Freiermuth’s opportunities should be back on the rise. He’s in his second year with Aaron Rodgers, who stressed the importance of getting Freiermuth the ball more often. And without Jonnu Smith, there’s more room for Freiermuth and Darnell Washington to take over.
Freiermuth landed in a spot with a great mentor in Eric Ebron. Freiermuth himself has credited Ebron’s leadership dating all the way back to his rookie season. That surely helped Freiermuth get his career off to a nice start, and he’s putting together a solid NFL career of his own ever since.