Official: Steelers Sign 2nd-Round Pick Zach Frazier

The Pittsburgh Steelers are rounding up the last of their rookie contracts. On the same day that Mike Tomlin got a three-year extension, the team officially signed Zach Frazier; the man that will hopefully be the franchise center that the organization has desperately needed since Maurkice Pouncey retired. With this signing, the entire 2024 rookie class has officially been inked to four-year contracts.

Frazier was the 51st overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, despite being projected to go even higher than that. After many years of avoiding top prospects and trying out unsuccessful projects, the Steelers seemingly have their anchor on the offensive line. 

Frazier played for four years for the West Virginia Mountaineers. He mostly played guard in his freshman season, but he became the full-time center in his sophomore year. During his time at West Virginia, he racked up all kinds of Big-12 awards and accolades, proving his worth. Despite that, he was in a loaded draft class for centers. He was the third center selected in the draft. 

Steelers' Recent Struggles With Center

After Pouncey retired, the Steelers had a chance to lock up a high-end center prospect in Creed Humphrey in the 2021 NFL Draft. Instead, they passed on him twice and drafted Kendrick Green in the third round, who was mostly a guard in college with some center experience. He had a terrible rookie campaign, then was benched the very next season. He was eventually traded to the Houston Texans for a sixth-round pick before his third season. 

Another high-end center prospect, Tyler Linderbaum, was available the very next year. The Steelers opted to sign Mason Cole, who would be on his third team in three years. He was solid in his first season in Pittsburgh, but that surprising production quickly deteriorated in 2023, leading to him being cut after just two seasons. 

Both Humphrey and Linderbaum have been key pieces to their respective teams. Humphrey has been a big reason as to why the Kansas City Chiefs' run game has taken off, and a reason as to why they won back-to-back Super Bowls. While Linderbaum has not had that same level of success, he has still been a consistent piece to an offensive line that regularly gets injured. 

The Steelers finally did not let a top center prospect fall to another center-needy team. While there is still no certainty that Frazier pans out, it's good to see the organization address a key need with a key player. If he becomes the player that the franchise expects, they will not have to worry about the position for a long time.

What do you think about the Steelers' landing Zach Frazier? Will he put a stop to the poor play in the middle of the line? Let us know in the comments.

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