The Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted a number of former wrestlers over the last couple years. C Zach Frazier, ILB Payton Wilson, and DL Logan Lee were all high school wrestling champs from the 2024 NFL Draft, and DT Keeanu Benton was a high school wrestler from last year’s draft as well. As it turns out, that was not by accident.
“One thing about wrestlers, and particularly heavyweight wrestlers, they’re uniquely conditioned for men their size. And I like big guys who like to run,” Tomlin said via NFL Network’s Inside Training Camp Live. “I like big guys who have natural conditioning. I think that’s really one of the building blocks of a good football team.
“Highly conditioned big men, and little guys that have an appetite for physicality. Regardless of details, if you got big guys who can run and little guys that can hit, you’ll have a good football team.”
If you have ever taken part in a sport like wrestling, you would know just how taxing it is on the body. Conditioning is paramount to being successful, so those athletes typically have excellent cardiovascular endurance.
It is probably no surprise how quickly Benton, for example, rose through the ranks along the defensive line last season and the type of promise he showed as a rookie. Tomlin has often talked about players showing up to camp in top physical condition being a springboard for their success.
Frazier and Wilson have the best chances of the three wrestlers to contribute in their rookie seasons. Many think Frazier will win the Week 1 starting center job, and Wilson is already being talked about as a dime linebacker option for defensive sub-packages.
Their wrestling backgrounds give them a level of conditioning and grit, as well as a unique understanding of leverage. Frazier showed that he excels in short areas and winning in a phone booth against defensive linemen in college. Hopefully, he can call on that wrestling background to become the next great Steelers center.
Funny enough, Tomlin recently said they aren’t trying to field an MMA team when asked if he was okay with the fights that have broken out at training camp practice. As it turns out, they have the beginnings of one on the roster.
