Steelers Absolutely Love West Virigina Product Zach Frazier

The Pittsburgh Steelers showed their hand a little bit when they recently announced center Mason Cole's release. Now as the 2024 NFL Combine draws near, it has fans and analysts stating the obvious fact that the Steelers will need to draft a replacement. This draft is expected to have several possible candidates available and some are already becoming fan favorites. 

Letting Cole go makes a lot of sense. Not only was his play on the decline last season, but his release saved the team nearly $5 million in cap space. That is money that can go towards a rookie the team drafts. The timing works well since, according to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, the Steelers have one lineman in particular they have their eye on. 

Steelers Laser Focused On Centers

DeFabo said he was told by The Athletic's draft analyst, Dane Brugler, that this draft might have a historic first. Brugler is expecting three centers to be drafted in the first round (that would be a record).

At the top of nearly everyone's list is Jackson Powers-Johnson out of the University of Oregon, but Duke's Graham Barton and University of West Virginia's Zach Frazier round out that list. 

"One league source told me at the Senior Bowl that the Steelers 'absolutely love' Frazier. The stud center broke his leg on the final play of his college football career. He said at the Senior Bowl that he plans to participate in some capacity at the combine, but he might wait to do the running drills until his pro day. How much and how well he performs could help determine whether he climbs into the first round or if the Steelers will still have a shot at him in the second (No. 51)," wrote DeFabo.

The Steelers have struggled to find a "true center" since Maurkice Pouncey retired at the end of the 2020 season. The string of players they've had at the position have not lived up to the Pittsburgh standard. Now, with the Steelers also dealing with a bit of a quarterback controversy, it is going to be more important than ever to have that player in sync with the center.

The Steelers have always been a team that seems to build their offensive line around an incredible center and that has clearly been lacking the past few years, despite General Manager Omar Khan's efforts to bolster the unit. During the 2023 offseason, Khan picked up Isaac Seumalo from the Philadelphia Eagles and drafted Broderick Jones out of the University of Georgia. The time could be now for Khan and Head Coach Mike Tomlin to find the center that helps get the team to the next Super Bowl. Frazier appears to have that kind of talent.

Khan's additions to the line have been helpful. The line seemed to improve overall, but fans cringed in anticipation of every snap, expecting the worst. Cole had become synonymous with low snaps, bad snaps, missed snaps - you name it, everything except snaps that landed squarely in his quarterback's hands. It only made matters worse that he didn't seem to own any of it. To have someone like Frazier on the roster could make all the difference. 

Everything about Frazier screams "STEELERS" and that is not just because he grew up in Steelers Country. That broken leg that DeFabo referred to? It happened on the last play of the Mountaineers' regular season game against Baylor. West Virginia was down by four points and needed to drive almost the length of the field to score. Frazier, who is about 6'1" and 299 pounds, dragged his teammate, wide receiver Hudson Clement enough to get a first down and stop the clock. As he was doing that, a Baylor defender rolled up his leg and broke it. 

Instead of laying there, Frazier has said he was in incredible pain, he had the foresight to hop to the sideline instead. He knew if he laid there and waited for medical, the Mountaineers would be assessed a 10-second runoff they could not afford on such a critical drive. His team saw his sacrifice and went on to win that game.  

That is the kind of grit, determination, and toughness that we associate with the Steelers. In telling that story, you could imagine Mike Webster being that kind of selfless teammate. The scouting report from The Athletic's Brugler sings Frazier's praises as well. 

"Sturdy frame with a stout trunk and powerful base... displays the initial quickness to immediately achieve proper leverage... creates movement in the run game with his vise-grip hands and upper body strength to latch, torque, and turn defenders... above average core strength to strain and extend ride... uses independent hands to re-leverage and absorb a charge in pass pro... impeccable work ethic."

It is easy to see why the Steelers like Frazier so much. Now, we'll just have to wait for his combine and Pro Day to see how he has fared coming back from his injury. 

What do you think about Frazier? Who would you like to see the Steelers take at center? Click to comment below. 

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