First career NFL start, no problem for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie center Zach Frazier.
Frazier, who started against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, anchored the interior of the Steelers’ offensive line and turned in a strong performance, one that former NFL offensive lineman and current analyst Brian Baldinger stated he believes would have made former Steelers Hall-of-Fame center Mike Webster proud.
The second-round pick out of West Virginia played all 69 snaps for the Steelers and handled himself well, not allowing a single pressure in the 18-10 win.
Now, entering Week 2, Frazier is considered one of the best rookies in the NFL by CBS Sports.
In a piece for CBSSports.com Thursday morning, Frazier ranked No. 5 overall among all rookies entering the Steelers’ Week 2 matchup against the Denver Broncos.
“Frazier was one of two rookie offensive linemen with a 0% beaten rate, according to TruMedia. He did a good job holding his ground in the run game and angling blocks to seal lanes,” CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards writes. “It was not a dominant performance but certainly one deserving of acknowledgement.”
Frazier finds himself behind only Los Angeles Rams EDGE Jared Verse, Los Angeles Chargers OT Joe Alt, Kansas City WR Xavier Worthy, and New Orleans OT Taliese Fuaga in the rankings.
As Edwards wrote, it wasn’t a truly dominant performance, but it was a good one from Frazier in his first regular-season action in the NFL.
Once veteran Nate Herbig suffered a season-ending injury in training camp, Frazier ascended into the starting lineup — a position he would have found himself in eventually, probably even by the end of training camp — and has put a lock on it.
Frazier graded out at 70.1 overall from Pro Football Focus in Week 1, including an impressive 83.3 as a pass blocker. Frazier graded out at a 66.0 as a run blocker, but the tape was better there than the grade. As teammate Pat Freiermuth said, Frazier was pancaking guys left and right against the Falcons, and the film room that Steelers Depot’s Ross McCorkle compiled proved that.
Frazier brings great strength and functional athleticism to the table, and that was all on display Sunday in Atlanta. The future looks really bright at the center position for the Steelers thanks to Frazier’s presence. It’ll be interesting to see how he builds off the good start, this time against another stout defense in the Broncos.
