When it comes to identifying true Pittsburgh Steelers-type players, GM Omar Khan has said time and time again that “you just know.”
It’s a feeling you get; you know it when you see it or feel it.
With center Zach Frazier, the Steelers seemingly knew it right away. That’s what led to their heavy interest in the West Virginia product, and ultimately led to the Steelers selecting him in the second round at No. 51 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Frazier felt like a Steeler throughout the pre-draft process, and now he is one. He thinks he can follow the mold and the identity of a true Steeler on the field, too.
“Yeah, I play with toughness and grit, and I think that’s how the Steelers have played throughout the years,” Frazier told Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews, according to video via Steelers.com. “I think that’s kind of their identity and I think I can follow that.”
Historically, that has been the Steelers’ identity. They’ve gotten away from that a bit in recent years, but they are now fully leaning back into that identity. The selection of Frazier helps that.
His play style, demeanor and background all fit the mold of what it means to be a true Steeler.
Think about his upbringing. Frazier was raised on a farm in Fairmont, W.V., before heading to Morgantown to play football. Growing up on the farm, Frazier learned rather quickly what hard work, dedication and showing up each and doing your job every day is all about. It was instilled in him at a young age, and it translated to football, especially after he got to Morgantown.
Starting in 37 of a possible 38 games, missing only the bowl game in 2023 after breaking his leg in the final regular-season game of the year, Frazier was a foundational rock for West Virginia under head coach Neal Brown. Even though the injury ended his college career — it also hindered his pre-draft process a bit, keeping him out of the Senior Bowl and not allowing him to do some testing at the NFL Scouting Combine — him crawling off the field against Baylor in the final minutes with a broken leg to preserve a timeout showed his toughness.
Frazier is a true chip off the old block. Nasty, physical play style, no-nonsense attitude. That’s what the Steelers have needed, and that’s what they’re getting.
He knows he has a standard to uphold, too, which is something he talked about immediately after being drafted, knowing that there is a lineage at the center position in the Black and Gold. He’s not viewing that as any sort of added extra pressure though.
Instead, he’s embracing the challenge.
“I think it’s just knowing that there’s a high standard of offensive line play here, and that’s just gonna make me work that much harder to keep and uphold that standard,” Frazier said to Matthews.
When the Steelers have been at their best, historically, the offensive line has been a major strength of the team, helping the Steelers run the football, control the clock and beat teams into submission. The Steelers tried replicating that late in the 2023 season, and it worked, leading to three straight wins and a playoff berth as the offense really came alive.
The addition of Frazier and first-round pick Troy Fautanu will undoubtedly help the Steelers fully lean into that style, especially under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Holding that standard is nothing new for Frazier, either. Whether he knows it or not, he’s been upholding a standard most of his life in sports, due to his name and the number he’s worn.
“So my dad was originally from Florida, and they were Dolphins fans. My dad named me after Zach Thomas, who wore 54,” Frazier said to Matthews, explaining his name and why he wears 54. “He just got inducted into the Hall of Fame; that’s always been special to me. I’ve worn 54 since T-ball.”
Sharing a name and a number with a Hall of Famer might create some pressure. But Frazier embraces it and aims to one day join his idol one day in Canton, bringing that same level of toughness, consistency and physicality to the table as the former Dolphins linebacker.
