NFL Draft: Zach Frazer lands as Steelers’ 2nd pick
After the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, in which the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed put at pick No. 20 overall and selected offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, Steel City Underground’s draft group discussed the possibility that Omar Khan would likely target a true center in the second round. The uncertainty was whether one of the top prospects would still be on the board when the Steelers picked at No. 51 overall.
For the first time in franchise history since 2012 (Mike Adams and David DeCastro), the Steelers were able to draft for need on the offensive line in back-to-back picks by taking Zach Frazer out of West Virginia. Amazingly, SCU’s Joe Kuzma and Brian E. Roach mentioned this very scenario on the Day 1 podcast episode.
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Frazer may have slid a bit on teams’ draft boards due to the broken leg he’d received in the Mountaineers’ final regular-season game in 2023, but the former wrestler and gritty offensive center did look healthy at the Pro Football Scouting Combine this spring. Frazer recorded 30 bench press repetitions (225 pounds) and is known to put a lot of effort into his weightlifting and conditioning.
Frazer was ranked 3rd in production, 13th in athleticism, and 4th among all NFL prospects at the center position per NFL.com.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has a history of building offenses with a focus on controlling the line of scrimmage, and said after the pick of Frazer, “If you want to play a certain brand of football… the Steelers brand of football… it certainly helps to have the right guys.”
OC Arthur Smith spoke to the media about C Zach Frazier: pic.twitter.com/QXq8Y7s5pN
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 27, 2024
Frazer, like Broderick Jones and new first-rounder Fautanu, certainly have that hard-nosed, grindstone look to their play. Camp should give fans an even greater sense of how the young offensive line will look in 2024.
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Some of Frazer’s strengths include his exceptional core strength and solid frame, upper body power that allows him to widen run lanes, the ability to drive opponents into the ground, quick visual awareness, solid punch and placement of hands.
