Stock Rising for Steelers Draft Target Zach Frazier
West Virginia center Zach Frazier is rising up draft boards, and may not make it to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round.
A potential Pittsburgh Steelers second-round draft option is getting a lot of love, and they might need to think about rising their sights, if the Steelers want to land West Virginia center Zach Frazier.
One of the consensus top centers in the 2024 NFL Draft class, Frazier has been linked to the Steelers with their second-round pick at No. 52. But that could be changing, and one NFL analyst is offering a strong prediction.
Daniel Jeremiah, the host of NFL Network’s “Move the Sticks” podcast, says Frazier will be a day one starter in the NFL.
“Frazier is a very physical center. He is a bulldog, collecting one knockdown after another to finish plays. He will be a day one starter and tempo setter for the team that drafts him,” proclaims Jeremiah.
💬 "He will be a Day 1 starter"@MoveTheSticks on @zfrazier54 pic.twitter.com/NJzvODVaGC
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) February 8, 2024
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler even says Frazier is viewed as the top center in the draft for several teams. Brugler released that information after first expressing how impressed he is with Frazier’s recovery from breaking his leg in West Virginia’s last game of the regular season.
“Zach Frazier was RUNNING on the treadmill while I was there. The same Zach Frazier who broke his leg on November 25! Crazy recovery. He is the top center in the draft for several teams,” said Brugler from the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Brugler’s comments came a week after he mocked Frazier to the Steelers, with their second pick.
“Having grown up 90 miles south of Pittsburgh, Frazier embodies the toughness and physicality you expect from a Steelers offensive lineman. His late-season leg injury clouds his projection a tad, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he became a starting NFL center very early next season,” Brugler offered as his reasoning for Frazier making sense to Pittsburgh.
And Frazier to the Steelers is more than just a projection. Reports suggest the Steelers have serious interest in Frazier and plan to target him in the early rounds of the draft. But with his stock rising, will Frazier make it all the way to No. 52? That will be a question to monitor between now and the 2024 NFL Draft.
A Fairmont, West Virginia native, Frazier capped off his Mountaineer career as an All-American and finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy.
WVU head coach Neal Brown showered Frazier with praise once it was clear his college career was over, highlighting how much his final play shows his intelligence as a player.
“I can’t say enough about Zach Frazier. So appreciative of him and his family. I think one play sums up who he is for his entire career, and I just hope our fanbase a young man from Fairmont, I think he’s the best center in college football,” Brown said.
“This is how smart he is and tough he is – he had an injury that’s significant, not something that’s going to be long term, but he probably won’t play in the bowl game. He limps off because he knows it’s a 10-second runoff if he stays down. He’s got a lower leg injury and he limps off on one-leg to avoid a 10-second runoff. I think that speaks to his intelligence, how tough he is, and that he’s a great player. I plan on doing this for a long time, I don’t think I’ll ever coach a center that’s better.”
A version of this story first appeared at our partner site, West Virginia Sports Now.
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