Zach Frazier was quite the revelation for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a rookie.
The West Virginia product started 15 games in his rookie season and was a key part of the Steelers’ offensive line, holding down the pivot position in a major way for the Black and Gold, all while seeing four different players start on either side of him and working with two different starting quarterbacks.
Now, entering Year 2, expectations are sky-high for Frazier. In fact, longtime Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly believes that Frazier is going to earn his first All-Pro accolade in the 2025 season.
In a mailbag with readers on X Thursday morning, Kaboly made the case for Frazier to earn an All-Pro accolade in Year 2.
“Zach Frazier. Frazier had a great season as a rookie and surely will take a step forward this year,” Kaboly said in response to a reader asking which Steeler could earn their first All-Pro honor this season. “The center position in the NFL has some studs at the top like Creed Humphrey, Tyler Lindenbaum, Frank Ragnow, Ryan Kelly, and Erik McCoy, but none that Frazier can’t overtake as the best center in the league. He’s that good.
“I don’t think we fully appreciate what Frazier did as a rookie last year, coming in and starting from the first day on.”
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Mark Kaboly / Steelers Correspondent
For The @PatMcAfeeShow
PITTSBURGH — What you see is what you get with the Pittsburgh Steelers at this time of the year … well, except… pic.twitter.com/SO55PoY70e
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) May 22, 2025
The center position in the NFL today is quite good. Players like Kansas City’s Creed Humphrey, Baltimore’s Tyler Linderbaum, Detroit’s Frank Ragnow, New Orleans’ Erik McCoy and Philadelphia’s Cam Juergens lead the way.
After his rookie season, Frazier is right up there with those names.
Frazier, who won the Joe Greene Great Performance Award as the team’s best rookie, was outstanding in 2024. He finished as the best pass-blocking rookie offensive lineman, allowing the lowest pressure rate among all qualifying rookies.
According to Pro Football Focus, Frazier played 1,021 snaps last season and had a grade of 77.9 overall, including an 80.5 in the run game and a 68.6 as a pass blocker.
PFF charged Frazier with just 12 total pressures allowed on 585 pass-blocking reps, giving up one sack. That came in Week 12 against Myles Garrett after a stunt from the Cleveland Browns’ defensive line. Just 12 total pressures in 585 pass-blocking reps is rather impressive, especially on the interior considering the type of talent he faced in 2024.
Now, things are really looking up for Frazier entering Year 2. Though he’ll be working with new quarterbacks in Mason Rudolph, rookie Will Howard, Skylar Thompson and — presumably — Aaron Rodgers, it’ll be Year 2 in the offensive scheme under coordinator Arthur Smith, and he’ll also have familiar faces on either side of him in left guard Isaac Seumalo and right guard Mason McCormick.
Changes will occur at the tackle positions with Broderick Jones sliding to left tackle and Troy Fautanu stepping in at right tackle after missing much of his rookie season with injury, so there will be adjustments there. But Frazier is the hub of communication, is tough as nails and should only take a step forward in 2025.
After being the fifth-highest graded center in the NFL last season from Pro Football Focus, Frazier could see himself right up there once again, and should generate some All-Pro buzz, assuming his play is at the level many expect in his second lap around the NFL track.
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