After all that worrying, Pittsburgh Steelers fans got their wish. West Virginia center Zach Frazier fell into their lap with the 51st overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Omar Khan wasted no time turning his card in for a top-3 center.
Frazier was a longtime starting center with loads of experience under his belt. After suffering a leg injury late in the year, he wasn't able to work out until late in the pre-draft process. Frazier doesn't have exceptional size or athletic traits that jump out on film, but he's a sound technician with strong hands and an impressive wrestling background.
Frazier comes from Pittsburgh's own backyard at West Virginia University, so the front office has gotten a great look at him over the years.
Center was easy to predict, and Steelers got a good one
The Steelers admitted that center was on their radar and they would have considered Graham Barton in the first round if Troy Fautanu had not been on the board. Many Steelers fans were nervous that all three of the top centers would be gone when pick 51 rolled around, but Frazier was ripe for the picking.
This was the easiest pick in the draft to predict. After releasing Mason Cole early in the offseason, center became the biggest glaring need on the roster. Instead of taking a center in Round 1, Pittsburgh opted to go the offensive tackle route. This could work out to their advantage.
Frazier projects as a long-term starting center in the NFL. The decision to draft the Wet Virginia product ensures that Troy Fautanu will remain an offensive tackle in the NFL (though the team did not speculate if he would be on the left or right side of the formation).
The Steelers have now valued the offensive trenches heavily under Omar Khan and Andy Weidl early in the NFL Draft -- spending two first-round picks and one second-round pick in their first two offseasons running the front office.
This is a selection that Steelers fans will be thrilled with, and it's not hard to see why.