The pick is in.
The 2024 NFL Draft is Omar Khan’s second year as the general manager, and like in past years, we want to evaluate the value of each pick. Based on projections for each player by draft outlets as well as our own reports, we want to see if the pick’s value is above or below how they were ranked coming into the draft.
Round 2 (Pick 51) – Zach Frazier OC West Virgina
The second round began with a run on wide receivers, defensive linemen and cornerbacks. All three are key positions where the Steelers need to add talent. In the picks right before their selection, Maason Smith and Mike Sainristil were taken, two players with which the team was connected.
This led to another position the Steelers coveted and they were able to land. Hopefully, the next great center.
Daniel Jeremiah had him ranked 37th in his Top 150 and had this to say, “Frazier is a very physical center with average size and length. In the pass game, he is quick out of his stance, plays with a wide, firm base and immediately anchors. He has the lateral quickness to redirect and mirror while playing with excellent eyes/awareness. He will occasionally get overaggressive, duck his head and put himself in a tough spot, but he’s athletic enough to recover. In the run game, he locks on with strong hands, rolls his hips and uproots defenders. He is quick to the second level and adjusts well in space. He is a bulldog, collecting one knockdown after another to finish plays. Frazier was a four-time state wrestling champion in high school, and he carries that tenacity over to the football field. He will be a Day 1 starter and tempo setter for the team that drafts him.”
Lance Zierlein’s profile of him at NFL.com gave him a 6.16 grade (Good Backup With The Potential To Develop Into Starter). He opined, “Sawed-off frame with short arms and terrific power once he gets locked in. Frazier’s lack of ideal arm length will be a problem for some evaluators and could cause him problems on the next level. Frazier has bulldozer drive strength in his lower half but allows his hands to do too much grabbing and hugging at times. He has quick eyes and a firm punch in pass protection, but because of his lack of length and recovery ability, he’s going to have issues if he’s forced to protect on an island. Frazier has the potential to be a good backup or eventual starter, but he needs to play with consistent inside hands and must stay tight to his targets in order to mitigate his physical deficiencies.”
Dane Brugler had him listed 34th overall on his Top 300 and in his draft guide, The Beast. He was the number three center. His profile states, “A four-year starter at West Virginia, Frazier was the starting center in head coach Neal Brown’s balanced scheme, using both zone and gap principles. He put together an All-American resume (on and off the field) during his time in Morgantown, starting 37 consecutive games at center before his broken leg in the 20 23 regular-season finale. Frazier is a leverage-based blocker with the knee bend and grip strength expected of a four-time state champion high school wrestler (he won the genetic lottery for a center — his father’s side were football players and his mother’s side were wrestlers). At times, his hands get out in front and his feet are late to catch up, but he consistently finds a way to stay under control and finish. Overall, Frazier might not boast elite athleticism or length, but he is good enough in those areas and will win over NFL teams with his core strength, football IQ, competitive toughness and understanding of leverage. He projects as a quality NFL starting center the moment he is drafted.”
CBSSports.com had Frazier as their 43rd player on their board and the number three center. “Zach Frazier is a classic, do-everything center with the ideal squatty frame to get up and under interior DLs. Four-year full-time starter who’s seen it all from every defensive scheme. Plus athletic gifts. Out of his stance in a flash and can sustain that speed throughout the play, although he’s not a ridiculous physical specimen. Length is very good for the center spot and hand work is good. Ready for counters. Rare to see him on the ground. Has just enough athletic juice to pull off reach blocks with good consistency, and he’s an asset in the screen game. At times gets overwhelmed by bigger DLs, but it’s a rare occurrence. Quality albeit not dominant anchor. Keen awareness for blitzes and stunts. Vice grips for hands and can mirror rushers well. Because he’s an older prospect, he may not have immense upside, but this is a Day 1 starter who’ll be a quality pro at center.”
Our profile on Frazier by Alex Kozora gave him an 8.1 grade (Future Quality Starter, 2nd Round). He analyzed his play by saying, “Overall, Frazier is a solid player with a well-rounded game. His floor is high, and in a man/inside zone scheme, he should thrive. While he lacks the physical traits to potentially be a high-end center — he doesn’t have the athleticism of a Creed Humphrey — Frazier is a strong prospect. It’d be great to see him become the next Nick Mangold, but my NFL comp will settle on Ben Jones, a tough and rock-solid dude in the middle but never an All-Star.”
Overall, despite several players the Steelers were associated with prior to the draft coming off the board early in the second round, Frazier was luckily still there at their selection. This is another coming together of need and value for Khan and his team. Each evaluator had him rated higher than where he was drafted, and this results in another very good value pick for Pittsburgh.
