The Pittsburgh Steelers were looking for a long-term solution at center this offseason. Omar Khan said it was their duty to find the next great Steelers center at the 2024 NFL Combine. The Mason Cole experiment didn’t work out, and his contract expired early before the start of free agency. They tried veteran C Mitch Moss, but he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and would have been a short-term solution anyway. They ended up filling that need in the second round with West Virginia C Zack Frazier.
Frazier, who plays for West Virginia, was just an hour’s drive from Pittsburgh, and as a result, they were able to become familiar with him throughout his college career. Assistant GM Andy Bydle held a press conference this afternoon to explain their long-standing interest in Frazier and why they ultimately selected him in the second round.
“I’ve always admired a player like Zach. The number of games he’s started at West Virginia. He’s a captain and a mature guy,” Weidl said in a video conference. Posted on the Steelers YouTube channel. “We knew him really well. He was right in our backyard. We had a level of comfort.
“We saw him play against Pitt two years ago, and I remember Dan Colbert came up to me at halftime and said, ‘Did you see that West Virginia center put guys on the ground?’ I said, ‘Yeah, we both saw it.’ He was on our radar at that point.”
This gives insight into the timeline that HR and the front office work on. They know players two to three years before they are ultimately drafted. After watching some of his performances, it seems like Frazier was the most popular player in the clubhouse.
He also went to see them play BYU, where West Virginia rushed for over 300 yards, including over 200 in the first half. It was a crushing 37-7 win for the Mountaineers, and Frazier dominated them once again.
“He just broke people down,” Bydle said.
His on-field accomplishments are only part of what makes Frazier so impressive. He was a three-time team captain. He is married and has a simple, uncomplicated family life. He was also a great student, earning a nearly perfect 4.0 GPA throughout college.
“I just got to know him on school visits. His makeup, he’s got a special football character,” Weidl said. “We looked at all those guys. We felt like there were good centers throughout the draft. But he was one of the better centers. We were lucky to get him where we wanted to be in the second round.”
Reports during the draft said the Steelers had no idea Frazier would be coming to them with the 51st pick. There were a lot of rumors in the media that the Steelers might have to trade up to get one of the top three center prospects in the second round. They eventually waited patiently, and the board completely collapsed to allow them to get Frazier.
Frazier may have been the best rookie in the preseason opener against the Houston Texans last Friday. If you believe Pro Football Focus, he earned the highest grade, a 73.5. He showed some latching strength with some really impressive skills in getting to blocks and shutting down defenders. He also did a good job of doing the everyday things like snapping the football and leading the offensive line with communication. QB Kyle Allen praised him for being wise beyond his years.
As of now, Nate Herbig still appears to be ahead of Frazier in the starting lineup, but the rookie has done everything necessary and will likely earn the starting spot in Week 1 if his performances over the last two preseason games remain consistent.
It must be nice to have a rookie named a potential Week 1 starter by talent evaluators who have been pegging him as a player to watch for the past two years.
