The Pittsburgh Steelers set out to find their next great center this offseason, and they believe Zach Frazier is that. Or at least he has the potential to ascend to those levels. Drafted in the middle of the second round, general manager Omar Khan concedes they considered trading up to get him.
Since Maurkice Pouncey retired at the end of the 2020 season, the center position has been rocky in Pittsburgh. They swung and missed projecting 2021 rookie Kendrick Green to center. Replacing him with veteran Mason Cole in free agency the following offseason, they released Cole in February.
The Steelers never signed another offensive lineman after releasing him, either, though they kicked some tires. No, they put all their eggs in the draft basket first, and that’s how they landed Zach Frazier. Fortunately for them, he already understands the heritage he’s walking into as a center for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“There’s a rich tradition of great centers here”, he told reporters yesterday during his introductory press conference, via the team. “There’s definitely a high standard for that position, and that’s just gonna make me work that much harder to uphold and keep that standard”.
Frazier grew up watching Maurkice Pouncey, the 18th-overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, dominate in the Black and Gold. A nine-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, he left big shoes to fill. But the true legacy of the position in Pittsburgh starts with Mike Webster.
Yes, Webster had to wait his turn before Ray Mansfield, who is very deserving of acknowledgment. But Webster set a standard of play for the center position that redefined expectations in the NFL. And the Steelers managed to follow him up with Dermontti Dawson. That’s two Hall of Famers, and Pouncey could make three, so Frazier has high expectations to meet.
And no, I’m not forgetting about Jeff Hartings, though I can’t forget about Justin Hartwig and Sean Mahan, either. For different reasons, of course, to illustrate the difficulty of transitioning from one great to another. The Steelers didn’t go from Dawson to Pouncey (or Hartings), nor from Pouncey to Frazier.
An experienced starter at the college level, Frazier arrives in Pittsburgh without projection work. He figures to have a high floor, as head coach Mike Tomlin said after the draft, which is what they wanted. How high is his ceiling? That’s hard to say. He doesn’t follow in the shoes of Dawson and Pouncey as athletic outliers, but he can move around.
No, Frazier is cut from old-school cloth, combining brawn with brains. He’s a smart guy and understands the responsibilities that come with playing the center position. And he’s also the type of guy who won’t stop looking for work until the whistle blows.
That’s as good a foundation as any to begin carving out your own legacy in a new city. Having names like Webster, Dawson, and Pouncey hand over your head is a weight to bear, certainly. But Frazier may have the best anchor in this draft class.
