To be a center in Pittsburgh Steelers lore, you have to play a certain style and have a specific mindset. Steelers centers must be gritty, hard-nosed and a little bit crazy, all while being an absolute technician at the position.
When the Steelers drafted Zach Frazier in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the hope was they were landing their next franchise center. So far, that’s exactly what he is, and the future appears incredibly bright.
He’s already considered one of the best centers in the game. He could eventually put himself on the mantle as the best, period.
For now, he’s just outside of the top three in Pro Football Focus’ position rankings, landing at No. 4 behind only Kansas City’s Creed Humphrey, Miami’s Aaron Brewer and Las Vegas’ Tyler Linderbaum.
“Frazier followed up his excellent rookie campaign in 2024 with yet another strong showing in 2025. At just 24 years old, his game already exemplifies what a well-rounded center should look like,” PFF writes of Frazier in the center rankings. “He finished last season as one of just five centers to post above a 70.0 grade in both run-blocking and pass protection.
“Now, the Steelers’ center has the momentum and experience to take the leap from good, young player to elite talent at the position.”
Since stepping into the starting role as a rookie, Frazier has been terrific for the Black and Gold. Last season, he played 1,028 snaps and graded out at a 73.5 overall from PFF, allowing just 10 pressures and one sack. He did that after playing 975 snaps as a rookie and allowing just 12 pressures and one sack, earning a grade of 76.8 overall.
Year 3 in the NFL will mark the first time he’s worked with the same starting quarterback two years in a row, so his comfort level should be high, even though he’s learning a new scheme and adjusting to two new offensive line coaches in the process.
After the playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January, Aaron Rodgers raved about Frazier and said the Steelers should quickly sign him to a big extension. That will undoubtedly happen next offseason.
Entering 2026, though, Frazier’s stock has never been higher. NFL offensive line guru Brandon Thorn recently ranked Frazier as the second-best center in football and the 12th-best lineman overall. It’s high praise for a young player, but that’s how good Frazier has played.
The expectation is that he’ll only get better working under James Campen and Jahri Evans. Quickly and quietly, Frazier is putting himself in the discussion among the best centers in franchise history. He still has a very long way to go, to be fair, and needs individual accolades to come with it. But the arrow is pointing straight up for Frazier.
