The Pittsburgh Steelers selected West Virginia center Zach Frazier in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and Frazier said he was well aware that coming to Pittsburgh was a possibility. During his pre-draft visit, Frazier said that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin joked with him about not answering the phone unless it was a Pittsburgh area code, and he said he got more and more excited the closer it got to the Steelers’ pick knowing he could wind up with the team.
“I knew it was a possibility. Of course, you don’t get to pick, and you don’t know what’s gonna happen, so there’s a lot of uncertainty. But as the picks kept getting closer to Pittsburgh, I kept getting more and more exciting because I knew that was a possible spot for me. When I saw the 412 area code, I knew right away. Actually, in our meeting, when I came up here in the pre-draft process, Coach Tomlin was joking around and said ‘Don’t answer the phone unless it’s 412,’ so once I saw it I knew right away,” Frazier said Saturday morning during his pre-draft press conference via the team’s YouTube channel.
It’s pretty awesome to draft somebody who really wants to be apart of the organization, and that’s seemingly the case between Frazier and the Steelers. Not only does Pittsburgh offer a pretty clear path to playing time, but the city is close to Frazier’s hometown of Fairmont, W.V., and the team has a pretty rich tradition along the offensive line, something Frazier said it’s special to be a part of.
The Steelers had a need at center and brought in Frazier, along with Duke’s Graham Barton and Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson for a pre-draft visit but judging by Tomlin’s comment to Frazier, it seems as if he was their guy all along. They lucked out with the board breaking right and Frazier falling to the team at No. 51 overall, and they were able to further solidify the line with Washington’s Troy Fautanu in the first round.
The Steelers have solidified the trenches under Omar Khan and Andy Weidl, and with Arthur Smith coming in as offensive coordinator, the team has the pieces in place to run his offense and thrive on the ground with Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris in the backfield. Frazier is a hulking, physical center who should thrive at the pivot and hopefully continue Pittsburgh’s legacy and tradition at the position after both Kendrick Green and Mason Cole failed to do so post-Maurkice Pouncey. He seems to be excited to be in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers and Tomlin seem to be excited to have him, and it could be the start of a beautiful marriage between team and player.
