Playing center for the Pittsburgh Steelers comes with a lot of pressure. The position is key to football in general, but the Steelers have a lineage of great centers. Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Maurkice Pouncey was also one of the best centers of his generation. Since he retired, the Steelers have struggled to fill that void. However, Zach Frazier looks like he could take up that mantle. Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms recently sang Frazier’s praises.
“The damn kid is a hell of a player,” Simms said on the Pro Football Talk podcast. “He’s the perfect center. A lot built like a Creed Humphrey, where he’s strong enough and stout enough to hang in there against the big, strong d-tackles. But he’s twitchy enough and quick enough to help on a double team and then get up to a linebacker on the second level. He’s got it all.”
A second-round pick last year, Frazier easily could’ve gone in the first round, if not for a major injury issue during his final season at West Virginia. However, that was to the Steelers’ benefit. While he only has one NFL season under his belt, Frazier looks like a steal.
Last year, he wasn’t just one of the best rookies in the league. Frazier was one of the best centers in the NFL overall. He was a mauler in the run game, and his skills in pass protection were good as well. Frazier also showed great toughness, playing through injuries at different points of the season.
This year, Frazier is looking to build off his stellar rookie campaign. While he dealt with a few quarterback-center exchange issues with Aaron Rodgers early in training camp, that looks cleaned up now. It could be chalked up to Frazier working with a new quarterback. Those problems didn’t damage his relationship with Rodgers, either. The veteran quarterback has spoken glowingly about Frazier.
Also, Frazier is taking strides as a leader on the Steelers’ offense. That’s also something that they’ve been missing since Pouncey retired. It’s one thing to be a good player, and another entirely to step up as a leader.
Pouncey had also endorsed Frazier as the Steelers’ next great center. He looks poised to be a fixture on their offensive line for years to come. This season, he and the rest of the Steelers’ young offensive line have a chance to really break out. We’ll see if they seize that opportunity.
