The Pittsburgh Steelers have a plan under General Manager Omar Khan: get the seventh Lombardi Trophy by re-building the team from the ground up. Khan and the Steelers have worked tirelessly to bring in players to reinforce foundational positions like the offensive line, while working closely with Mike Tomlin to have "volunteers, not hostages." Nailing the NFL Draft is the most crucial step in executing this plan, which has been Khan's bread and butter so far in Pittsburgh.
After another successful NFL Draft, the anticipation around the newest Steelers is at an all-time high. Several players in this year's rookie class have high upside, including second-round pick, Zach Frazier, and are likely to be immediate impact players. Guys like first-round selection Troy Fautanu will be expected to carve out starting roles for themselves, and ride the momentum from quality collegiate careers into a long NFL journey. Frazier is one player though from Khan's second official draft at the helm that is earning praise as a potential crown jewel headed into his rookie season.
Frazier, who was drafted out of West Virginia, is the player most Steelers fans pencil in as a day one contributor. For a team that has been searching for an elite starting center since the retirement of Maurkice Pouncey, Frazier will be looked upon with the highest of standards at arguably the most important position on the offensive line. Frazier may not have been selected in the first round, but he has a ceiling that allows him to be a potential All-Pro.
During an episode earlier this week on The Athletic Football Show Podcast, Brandon Thorn, owner of the Trench Warfare Newsletter, gave some opinions on where Frazier stands headed into his rookie season.
"I see a pretty high floor for both those guys (Frazier and Fautanu) for different reasons. I don't know if Frazier's ceiling is as high as Fautanu's. I see Fautanu having a higher ceiling just being more of an All-Pro/Pro Bowler caliber sort of ceiling. Where as Frazier, I see more of a guy we just talked about like a David Andrews sort of center. A guy you can stick in there for a long time. He's gonna be a huge benefit to a young quarterback, to whoever you have in there. He's gonna do everything pretty well and be a good run blocker and things like that. That's kind of how I see him being, so maybe like a top 10, top 12 center as a rookie. That wouldn't surprise me at all."
Being compared to a player of David Andrews' caliber is no small compliment. Andrews, a two-time Super Bowl Champion and member of the New England Patriots All-Decade Team, put together a solid NFL career after getting his shot as a long snapper in 2015. Frazier isn't the undrafted free agent that Andrews is, but can put together a career that certainly gives him a chance to be a pillar of a championship contender.
Frazier's Impact On The Steelers In 2024
The Steelers will easily be one of the first teams to tell you that just because you weren't taken in round one, doesn't mean you can't be an impact player. From the countless examples of late round receivers earning Pro Bowl honors, to the undrafted players seated in the Steelers Ring of Honor, there is no shortage of players who've shown that hard work determines everything. There is no greater example of hard work and grit in this draft class than Frazier.
Frazier should also impact the run game in a significant way. Guards and centers typically pull on run plays, and are relied upon to get to the second level. Under a play-caller like Arthur Smith, who likes to run the ball, Frazier will be called upon to be steady in opening holes to allow Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren room to work. These abilities are intangibles that you can't teach, but are skills Frazier has.
Though the Steelers will have several battles and positions to watch during training camp, Frazier will have just as instrumental of a fight to prove to the organization that he can handle the responsibility. Pittsburgh has already seen just how far a team with a quality center can go. The plan now is to utilize the talent Frazier has by putting everything around him to succeed in a pivotal year for the offense.
