Steelers Scouting Report: C Zach Frazier is well-rounded with a high floor

Steelers fans were thrilled to see Zach Frazier still on the board when Pittsburgh was on the clock with the 51st overall pick in the second round. The team wasted no time making Frazier their selection, as Omar Khan found a sweet spot where talent lined up with positional need.

Frazier played his college ball in the Steelers' backyard at West Virginia University. Frazier was a state champion wrestler in high school before putting his focus on football and developing into one of the best centers in the country.

Frazier, a former three-star recruit out of Fairmont High School in West Virginia (per 247 Sports) was a homegrown prospect who worked his way up the ladder and is primed for the starting center role on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After hours of dissecting Frazier's all-22 film before and after the 2024 NFL Draft, here is my scouting report on Pittsburgh's second-round pick.

Strengths:

• Squatty, square frame with excellent leverage as a pass protector and run blocker
• Massive, powerful hands to grip and torque defensive linemen
• Impressive technician; knows where to be with little wasted movements
• Loves to drive defenders into the turf when finishing run blocks
• Great feel for where pressure is coming from and where help is needed
• Good hand placement with punches
• Loads of experience as a starting center in college; over 2,500 snaps since 2021
• Gives some ground in pass pro, but stalls defenders out quickly

Weaknesses:

• Powerful for his size, but his frame is fully maxed out already
• Small block radius due to squatty stature and short arms
• Just an average athlete compared to starting NFL centers
• Needs to anchor better in pass protection
• Average lateral movement skills when blocking in space
• Solid at everything, great at nothing

2023 Statistics:

• 12 starts at center (806 snaps)
• 0 sacks allowed on 359 pass-block snaps
• 83.8 pass-block grade (77.1 overall grade), per PFF

Projected role for the Steelers:

The Pittsburgh Steelers don't often have Day 2 offensive linemen who can come in and start from Day 1, but this could be the route Zach Frazier is heading toward in 2023. The Steelers released former starting center Mason Cole early in free agency. Nate Herbig, who was previously listed as the stop-gap starter, is a guard by trade and doesn't have much experience at center.

Thanks to his three years of starting experience at the center in college, Frazier should be equipped for an early starting role with the team. He projects as a quality starting center in the NFL, but his lack of size and average strength suggests he does not have position flexibility to move to guard.

NFL player comparison: Lloyd Cushenberry III

I watched a lot of Lloyd Cushenberry III when I was scouting him entering the 2020 NFL Draft. The former LSU center hit the ground running as a Day 1 starter for the Denver Broncos. Though he missed half of his third season in 2022, Cushenberry started all 57 games he has dressed so far in the NFL.

Cushenberry hit free agency following his rookie contract and signed with the Tennessee Titans. He graded out as the 10th-best center in the league in 2023. From a size standpoint, Cushenberry (6'3'', 312 lbs, 10 3/8'' hands) and Zach Frazier (6'2 5/8'', 313 lbs, 10 7/8'' hands) are very similar, though Cushenberry has longer arms. Cushenberry is a quality starting center who warrants consideration as a top-15 player at his position. I can see a similar career path for Frazier.

Bottom line: Zach Frazier isn't going to 'wow' you with freakish athletic traits or brute strength, but he's technically sound with powerful hands to stay engaged both as a run blocker and pass protector. Good at everything and great at nothing isn't a knock in this case.