On Friday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed patience as they awaited their 51st overall selection and hoped that Zach Frazier, the center from West Virginia University, would still be available. He was, and Mike Tomlin and crew seized the opportunity to fill a critical hole in the middle of the team. Did all the others think the choice was so good? Ryan Wilson of CBSSports evaluated the pick and awarded it an A+ draft grade. Watch the video above.
Last Monday, as we poured out of the Mike Tomlin/Omar Khan pre-draft press conference, Pat Meyer crossed the parking lot and welcomed a few of us.
The offensive line coach for the Steelers was grinning but not giddy. He also had no inside knowledge of the next generation of linemen. If nothing else, at least he was not sharing any.
As it happened, it was soon evident that he was the one attempting to extract information from the reporters. Meyer wanted to know if Tomlin/Khan had given the go-ahead for the massive inflow of O-linemen that we would all witness during the first two days of this draft because he was so enthusiastic and nervous about what was ahead.
Meyer’s anticipation has paid off as the Steelers selected Zach Frazier, a center from West Virginia, in the second round, one day after selecting Troy Fautanu, a left tackle from Washington, in the first.
For the same reason that Fuanatu lasted until pick 20, Frazier lasted until pick 51. Each is slightly undersized despite their exceptional tape, inherent strength, aggressiveness, and grasp of leverage. “Turn on the tape,” Tomlin said to the quarter-inch Fautanu, who stood just short of six feet, four inches.
Frazier, the third center selected overall and possibly the finest technician this year, is undoubtedly on Tomlin’s mind. At 6-2, 5/8, and 313, he’s just about three-eighths of a load short. At the NFL Combine, he lifted a 225-pound barbell thirty times with his 32 1/4-inch arms.
Frazier’s achievements are equally remarkable: four state wrestling championships, 46 starts at WVU (having started the first game as a true freshman), three team captain titles, three academic first-team all-Big 12 Conference selections, one hundred and seventy knockdowns in his career, and just one sack allowed in his final two seasons.
And he ranks sixth on this year’s Asskicker list, too.
Meyer did not appear to provide a summary of Frazier and those statistics following the choice. Instead, to talk about the wonders of his new offensive line, new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith held his first media conference.
“Any great team I’ve been around, it’s always going to start up front,” Smith stated. “There’s obviously so many important pieces, but when you want to play a certain brand of football, the Steelers brand of football, it certainly helps to have the right guys.”
The Steelers are hoping that they have the proper guys because they haven’t had one since Alejandro Villanueva, Matt Feiler, David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, and Matt Feiler all left suddenly after the 2020 season, one year after Ramon Foster left. RT Chuks Okorafor was the anchor of the suddenly empty cupboard in 2021, with two rookie mid-round picks, a second-year fourth-round pick, and a broken-down one-year free agency band-aid surrounding him.
Three years later, the Steelers have added two first-round tackles, a second-round center, a guard who is a free agent eligible for the Pro Bowl, and a not-so-cheap free agent who will start right guard for the team for the third year. This combination has the potential to start looking a lot like the Foster-Pouncey-DeCastro-Villanueva-Marcus Gilbert core that helped Le’Veon Bell get started ten years ago.
However, this brand-new, youthful, talented bunch has to work hard and grow. For the second straight day, the Steelers discovered that kind of character and work ethic in Frazier.
With these first two selections, what precisely are the Steelers acquiring?
“The consistency and intent that they play with,” remarked Smith. “They both have an edge when they play. They seem like pretty intelligent players to me. You don’t notice many weaknesses in their game because of their consistency, which is a testament to their hard work and training.”
Specifically, what are they getting from Frazier?
“It’s rare you find a guy with that kind of pedigree, his resume, and the number of snaps he has in college,” Smith stated. “Certainly, with his background in wrestling, he’s been a high achiever his whole life, and we couldn’t be more fired up to get Zach in the building.”
Although Frazier was a four-time West Virginia heavyweight wrestling champion, a play he made against Baylor late in the previous season may have revealed more about his character and football IQ. With 1:14 remaining, down four, and without a timeout, WVU had grabbed control at their 20. Frazier injured his leg during a play where he carried a receiver past the first-down marker. Rather than convulsing in agony and giving his team a 10-second advantage, Frazier bear-crawled on “all threes” toward the sideline before emerging and making a play. Though his season was over, his bravery and quick thinking helped the Mountaineers come back to win.
That’s his true nature, Smith stated. That’s the person on his CV. He wasn’t attempting to give the camera a dramatic shot. He reminds me a lot of Ben Jones, which makes him one of the toughest characters I’ve seen in movies.”
Growing up in the neighboring town of Fairmont, West Virginia, Frazier was in fact an early Miami Dolphins supporter. The family had relocated from Florida so that his father could take a center position at Fairmont State. He gave Dolphins defender Zach Thomas the name of his baby, and Frazier even donned Thomas’ No. 54 when attending West Virginia University.
However, he now aspires to join a prestigious list of Steelers centers that includes nine-time Pro Bowler Pouncey, championship starters Ray Mansfield and Jeff Hartings, and Hall of Famers Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson.
“I live an hour and a half away, and that’s the closest NFL team, and I just couldn’t be more excited,” Frazier said. “I can’t wait. Really, I’m at a loss for words.”
The athlete wasn’t the only one who repeatedly used the word “excited” in interviews with the media on Friday night. Smith, his coordinator, mentioned the term eleven times during the interview. Additionally, he declared himself “fired up” repeatedly.
Frazier is a little “hot under the collar.” Frazier will go from a nearby state to Pittsburgh, which is 90 minutes away, much like Jack Lambert renownably did half a century ago, in order to start studying the playbook. As with his first season at WVU, he wants to begin on opening day.
Now it’s up to Smith and Steelers offensive line coach Meyer, who hasn’t said anything yet, to get this outstanding group to work together.
Is there a timeline for Smith?
“Troy and Zach have both played a significant number of snaps. Smith remarked, “They’re not that green.” “Entry into the National Football League always involves a learning curve, but a lot of guys have been here before, so things will work themselves out. They’re all incredibly elite guys that are knowledgeable, and I really appreciate the investment. Our responsibility is to assist them in realizing their full potential as well as the synergy and fit with the complete line.”
And what goals does this youthful group have in mind?
“There’s a certain style of play, a tenet, that we want that fits this team with the history here with the Steelers, the brand of football, and that shared vision,” Smith stated. “You want to win the line of scrimmage on every team I’ve played for, but you’ll adjust to your team’s strengths. That’s coach speak a lot of the time, but I would want to counter that I’ve done it at every location I’ve visited. You’ve made an effort to capitalize on your team’s advantages. Play with an edge if you want to be a physical team; you need those players up front.”
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