The Steelers landed one of the biggest steals in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu with pick No. 20.
Pittsburgh followed that up with yet another steal in the second round by drafting West Virginia center Zach Frazier with pick No. 51.
Frazier ranked as NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah's No. 37 overall prospect on his top 150 players list.
The West Virginia product fills the Steelers' biggest need, having not added a center since releasing 2023 starter Mason Cole earlier this offseason.
Frazier has a 2.27 percent pressure percentage allowed since 2021, per Pro Football Focus, and should be a plug-and-play starter for the team, which is exactly what it has been searching for.
Earlier this offseason, head coach Mike Tomlin said "After a couple centers in the draft, it will likely not be plug and play," according to The Athletic's Mark Kaboly.
The West Virginia product is also regarded as the "single toughest player in this draft," according to NFL Network's Peter Schrager.
Why?
In the final game of last season, Frazier broke his leg and hopped off the field because the game was on the line and the Mountaineers were out of timeouts.
This is your new Steelers starting center. Broke his leg. Hopped off the field because the game was on the line. And the Mountaineers were out of timeouts. True grit. pic.twitter.com/zAxZsRs2A9
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) April 27, 2024
Pittsburgh has clearly made it a focus to upgrade its trenches, and it has done exactly that with its first two picks in this year's draft.
In fact, the last time the team took two offensive linemen with its first two picks was in 2012 (David DeCastro and Mike Adams).
The Steelers offensive line is now fully loaded with talent and will likely look as below when fully healthy.
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