Player: C Zach Frazier
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: While not a major cause for concern, the simple fact of the matter is that Zach Frazier isn’t “starting” yet. There are not real games until September, but the rookie second-round pick spent the spring working behind Nate Herbig at center.
A rookie failing to claim a starting job by the end of minicamp is not the end of the world. I’m not painting that picture, and I ask you not to put that tone to my name. Nevertheless, we are sitting here near July with the reality that Zach Frazier is behind Nate Herbig at center.
Why is this notable? I believe there are two principal reasons that are worth commenting upon now. To begin with, Maurkice Pouncey pushed his way into the starting role as a rookie just weeks into OTAs back in 2010. Frazier doesn’t need to be Pouncey, but then we get to the other reasons.
Pouncey unseated an incumbent starter in Justin Hartwig, you might recall. Zach Frazier is not competing against an incumbent starter—indeed, he is not competing against a center. Nate Herbig is a guard taking first-team center snaps over the most experienced center in college football.
That’s why I believe this is all at least worth mentioning, given that this is the stage we are currently in and all we have to go by until training camp. I have full confidence that Frazier will earn the starting job by the end of training camp, but that is going to be a process, perhaps more than people realize.
One thing Pouncey had in his favor was his athleticism, something you can more clearly exhibit without pads. Frazier is more of a brutalist at the center position, so it is harder for him to impress in June. It’s only fair to acknowledge that as we discuss the circumstances.
Anybody who thought Frazier was just going to breeze into the starting lineup, though, should recalibrate their expectations. The coaches are going to allow Herbig to give the rookie a run for his money. He will have to earn the job, unlike Kendrick Green a few years back, which proved to be a failure.
And before you comment, try not to overreact to the “down” evaluation. All that means is he hasn’t taken over the starting job yet.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
