After stepping into the starting lineup to open the 2024 season, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie center Zach Frazier emerged as a foundational building block in the trenches right away for the Black and Gold.
Frazier, a second-round pick at No. 51 overall, hit the ground running and was an impact player, serving as a powerful run blocker, matching his strengths coming out of West Virginia.
Frazier generated plenty of buzz for the stuff he was putting on film, particularly in the run game. Frazier showed off his athleticism immediately and was a technically sound player who consistently landed blocks and created lanes in the run game.
While his work in the run game earned him plenty of praise, quietly it was his work in the passing game that was most impressive. In the process, Frazier was the best pass-blocking rookie offensive lineman in the NFL.
According to the 33rd Team, Frazier had the lowest pressure rate allowed among all rookie OL in 2024, allowing pressure on just 2.3% of pass-blocking reps. That edged out the likes of Dallas center Cooper Beebe at 2.9%, Indianapolis center Taner Bortolini at 3.6% and Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Joe Alt at 3.6%.
Zach Frazier allowed just 12 pressures, according to the 33rd Team, on 513 pass-blocking reps. Pretty impressive.
According to Pro Football Focus, Frazier has played 975 snaps this season and has a grade of 76.8 overall, including a 79.7 in the run game and a 66.6 as a pass blocker. PFF charged Frazier with just 12 total pressures on 548 pass blocking reps, giving up one sack, which came in Week 12 against Myles Garrett after a stunt from the Cleveland Browns’ defensive line.
Overall, Zach Frazier has transitioned seamlessly to the NFL after a stellar college career. He was recently named the Joe Greene Great Performance Award winner as the Steelers’ top rookie.
Part of a loaded offensive line class in the 2024 NFL Draft, Frazier looks to be among the very best overall, which is rather fortunate for the Steelers, who were able to land him in the second round after watching him fall slightly down the board.
Now, it appears that the Steelers have a long-term building block at center once again. That is great news for the Black and Gold moving forward as they continue to invest in their offensive line in an effort to build it back up to what it once was when the Steelers were competing for Super Bowls.
