After starting the 2024 NFL Draft with the selection Washington tackle Troy Fautanu, the Pittsburgh Steelers stuck with the offensive trenches in round two, picking West Virginia center Zach Frazier who was thankfully still on the board. Today I wanted to continue my examinations series looking at and providing stat context for the position using Sports Info Solutions (SIS).
The data in this study looks at their final college season in 2023, focusing on the players who heard their names called in the draft, and some players were excluded due to SIS not tracking their stats. The goal is to see how Frazier stacked up amongst his peers.
First, let’s look at snap totals for the offensive centers last year:
Here we see that Frazier was lower on the list of 12 centers, amassing 760 snaps in 2023 which ranked eighth. This is due in part to the broken leg he suffered late in the season, showing his hearts and smarts by putting the team first and crawling off the field in attempts of avoiding a costly injury timeout. This, along with being durable otherwise (started every game the last three seasons), is encouraging context to his above snap count.
Next, let’s add quality context in run and pass blocking with SIS’s points above average metric (The total of a player’s EPA responsibility while blocking using the Total Points system that distributes credit among all players on the field for a given play. For blockers, this includes accounting for blown blocks, yards before contact on running plays, and performance given the defenders in the box.):
Here we see some great information, with Frazier faring well as the second ranked 5.25 run blocking points above average among the qualifiers. That is very encouraging, especially considering the identity Pittsburgh has cultivated, wanting to establish the run. Frazier’s 0.91 pass blocking number was more average, which ranked eighth, and emphasizes where he will hopefully improve the most in Pittsburgh.
The only center in this year’s draft that topped Frazier’s run blocking number was Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson, who also ranked first in pass blocking as well. He was a popular name mocked to the Steelers, particularly early in the pre-draft process.
This information was interesting to find, which I’m sure will bring up some great discussion, but the stats are of course only one piece of the puzzle. Scheme fit, for example, was easier to see with Frazier in the black and gold. It will be enthralling to see how they (and the entire class) fit with their respective teams.
To wrap up, let’s look at a more total blocking view with SIS’s points earned metric (The total of a player’s EPA responsibility while blocking using the Total Points system that distributes credit among all players on the field for a given play.
Totals are scaled up to map to the average points scored or allowed on a team level, with the player’s snap count determining how much to adjust. For blockers, this includes accounting for blown blocks, yards before contact on running plays, performance given the defenders in the box.), and which NFL teams made their dreams a reality by selecting them:
In this more total view, we see Frazier’s total points earned ranked third among the 12 centers in this year’s draft. West Virginia had a solid 9-4 record, but three of those losses in the Big 12, which adds context to Frazier’s strong ranking among his peers.
So, Zach Frazier’s best marks in the study was ranking second in points above average as a run blocker, and third in total points earned, impressively. His snap count and points above average were the other side of the coin, ranking eighth in each out of the 12 drafted centers in 2023.
Frazier was an asset in the core of the Mountaineers offensive line, with today’s study giving some added context to his 2023 season. His strengths are easy to see, along with areas he can hopefully grow in and improve with the black and gold. Can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.
Throughout the offseason, I will dive deeper into the data as we continue to learn about the newest Pittsburgh Steelers. Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
