Steelers' Zach Frazier Has A Path To Becoming A Bona Fide Star

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been focusing on rebuilding their offensive line over the past few seasons. The team has used the NFL Draft to develop the group, with three of the last four first-round picks being tackles. Pittsburgh has solidified their bookends of the unit, but has found some high-quality interior talent in the middle rounds too. One of those players was 2024 second-round pick Zach Frazier at center. After the Steelers lost Maurkice Pouncey to retirement, the Black and Gold had yet to find its center of the future until Frazier. He has proven to be among the league's best, even after just two seasons in the NFL. 

With the Steelers looking to continue their historic trend of dominance in the trenches, the West Virginia University product has been key to that. Frazier burst onto the scene as a rookie, starting15 games that year. He caught many people's attention across the league, and he continued to get better in 2025. While center isn't always a position that has the stats that jump out at fans, Frazier has quietly become one of the best in the league. With stiff competition from other AFC players at the position, he has yet to earn a Pro Bowl nod, but he'll have a chance in his third year to prove how good he truly is. 

Frazier has limited his penalties, with only three being called on him in 2025. He is a force in the run game, allowing Steelers running backs to find gaps in the middle. On an episode of the Deebo & Joe podcast, former Steelers defenders Joe Haden and James Harrison discussed how Frazier could become the best at his position if he continues his consistency to earn that "best center" narrative. 

"You've got to be the one in the league. I mean, he's close to it. I would put him in, you know, the top three to five or whatever that may be, and he's close to it," Harrison said. 

Harrison's co-host, Haden, gave Frazier some tips on how he can become the best center and what it will take to get more eyes on him. 

"When you're on the offensive line, you've got to be doing it for a consistent amount of time, and you need to be really just moving people out of the way. There needs to be a level of dominance when you're going up against top-caliber talent, and you start to just expose them. This is what they do. So when you've got to have a level of consistency, doing it for a while, just pancaking people, knowing nobody's coming in there," Haden added. 

Frazier has only played two years professionally, and with center being one of those positions where there aren't as many registered stats, it's easy to be overlooked. Frazier will have to prove that he can have the level of dominance that he's had for multiple years in order for him to be at the top tier, where he should be considered. 

The heart of the Steelers' interior offensive line is Frazier, and he'll look to continue asserting himself as one of the best in 2026. He'll have some stiff competition in the AFC North, especially after the Cincinnati Bengals acquired interior defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence in the offseason. If he can prove he can handle a tall task like that twice a year, he should increase his stock.

The Steelers Have Another Big Extension On The Horizon With Frazier

Pittsburgh has already handed out some big extensions to its young core in the 2026 offseason, and next year, Frazier's will be looming. The Miami Dolphins paid their starting center, Aaron Brewer, some big money, and Tyler Linderbaum earned a big contract in free agency. The price may be hefty for the Steelers now, but the offensive line has continued to be a strong point every year since the rebuild of the unit, and someone like Frazier is a key part of that. 

Keeping the young line together will require an investment, but developing and keeping your young group together is integral to becoming an offensive force. Pittsburgh has had some very talented groups over the years, and this may be another one of them, should they stick together. 

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