Excitement is quite high surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers and the selection of West Virginia center Zach Frazier in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft at No. 51 overall.
The Steelers, to their credit, sat tight and had the West Virginia product fall into their lap in the second round, allowing Pittsburgh to take one of the top centers available and plug a major hole on the roster ahead of the 2024 season.
Frazier brings a real toughness to the table at the position, one that will endear him rather quickly to the fanbase. Heck, he endeared himself to NFL teams after breaking his leg in his final collegiate game against Baylor, and then crawling off the field to avoid a timeout late in the game. The hearts and smarts just ooze out of the new Steelers’ center.
But don’t take our word for it. West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene, who played with Frazier the last two seasons in Morgantown, did his best to explain it following Frazier’s selection to the Steelers.
In an interview with the Gold and Blue Nation on YouTube, Greene spoke highly of his former center, praising the Steelers’ selection.
“They’re getting, really, just a smart football player. There’s stuff that I missed in protection and stuff that he got right,” Greene said of Frazier, according to video via YouTube. “He knows the basis of offenses and how things are supposed to look, and with his wrestling background he really punishes linebackers.
“So, Steelers got a good one.”
The smarts and the physicality are traits that show up right away with Frazier.
He is a mauler on the interior and has some good athleticism at the center position overall. He looks to finish reps and put defenders in the dirt, too, which can really get under the skin of defenders.
Having that wrestling background and that ability to understand leverage is going to be huge at the next level, along with the hand-to-hand combat that will be key in the trenches. Watching Frazier on tape, that wrestling background — which saw him go 159-2 in high school and win four state championships in West Virginia — is quite evident.
Frazier moves well in space, tracks his defenders well, gets his hands on them, gets into proper position, and strains through the rep, setting that tone from a physicality perspective.
Understanding and knowing what things are supposed to look like within the offense and what’s coming from a defense’s perspective will be huge in the NFL, too.
Earning praise from his college quarterback isn’t a surprise. But hearing the type of praise certainly draws attention. Hopefully, Frazier is able to carry over those same strengths that Greene pointed out into the NFL so that the Steelers truly do get a good one at the center position.
