The Steelers’ second-round pick might be the toughest player in the draft.
For many football players, a broken leg can crush draft dreams. In the case of Steelers’ second-round pick Zach Frazier, it cemented his place as one of the draft’s top linemen.
In his final game as a Mountaineer, Frazier suffered a broken leg as West Virginia drove down the field for a winning score in the final minutes of a matchup vs. Baylor. To preserve the clock with no timeouts left, Frazier crawled and jumped on one leg off the field to save time. His actions helped WVU drive down the field and score the game-winning touchdown with seconds left.
Frazier’s toughness and grit certainly made an impression on NFL coaches and scouts, with the Steelers selecting the WVU center with the 51st pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith brought up that exact play in his draft press conference following the Frazier pick. Per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Smith stated, “That’s who he [Frazier] is and that’s who his resume is. It wasn’t trying to just do some dramatic shot for the camera. I mean, that’s his history and his body of work. One of the tougher guys I’ve seen on film. It reminds me a lot of Ben Jones — a real toughness to ‘em.”
Steelers OC Arthur Smith on this moment where Zach Frazier bear crawled/hopped off the field to avoid a 10 second run off after fracturing his fibula in his final college game:
“That’s who he is and that’s who his resume is. It wasn’t trying to just do some dramatic shot for… https://t.co/xfpbC4fbOI
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) April 27, 2024
A local player at West Virginia who is already familiar with the Steelers’ legacy at center, Frazier will be the next tough-as-nails offensive lineman to helm the interior of the Steelers’ offense.