Zach Frazier ranked third-best center by PFF

The Steelers center took the world by storm last season

For the last handful of years, the Steelers organization has mostly botched the center position, most notably handing QB Ben Roethlisberger an inexperienced lineman in Kendrick Green for his final run. Green was inarguably one of the worst centers in the league and didn’t come close to following in the footsteps of Maurkice Pouncey, who retired the year prior.

Pittsburgh then signed Mason Cole to a three-year, $15 million contract in 2022, but released him in the 2024 offseason.

It took a few frogs to find their prince, and Zach Frazier, their second-round pick last season, has immediately become one of the best linemen in football.

In their latest positional power rankings, Pro Football Focus ranked Frazier as the third-best center in the league, behind the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey and Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum, two players the Steelers were connected to during their respective drafts. That’s high praise for the second-year player, who, outside of two games, logged every snap for the team last season.

“The Steelers hit it out of the park when they selected Frazier in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft,” Mason Cameron writes. “At just 24 years old, he heads into his second year poised to build on an excellent rookie campaign during which he placed fourth in PFF overall grade (77.9) among qualifying centers. Frazier’s all-around grading profile is solid, as he places above the 75th percentile as both a pass protector and a run blocker.”

Frazier will now be tasked with helping to pave the way for Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers will likely lean on the run game to keep the 41-year-old quarterback healthy in what is most likely his last season.