Zach Frazier shines in his debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers and emerges as the starting center

PITTSBURGH — Welcome to the NFL, rookie. The first preseason games for any rookie can cause nerves and natural struggles for many players, as was the case for Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu. However, it was the opposite for second-round pick Zach Frazier. Frazier played most of the game after Nate Herbig left the team after the team’s second series, and he didn’t disappoint.

In fact, Frazier didn’t allow any pressure in 19 pass-blocking snaps while clearing lanes in the running game. Herbig was involved in two bad quarterback-center exchanges, and given the way Frazier ended up playing, it’s hard not to see him battling for the starting job in Week 1. However, if you ask Frazier, he thinks it might not have been enough.

“I’m always very hard on myself,” Frazier said. “I can always improve.”

Before the team’s first preseason, Mike Tomlin said he thought Frazier would be a first-team prospect. After a strong game in his NFL debut, it would be hard to imagine him not being a first-team prospect in training camp.

“You know, those opportunities come, not just for him, but for everybody. A lot of that, how quickly it happens, depends on how you perform against who you’re competing against. You have to see if Troy (Fautanu) has had opportunities, because he’s handled some of his other opportunities, and Zach has done a good job, and I’m sure opportunities are coming his way,” Tomlin said.

Frazier moved players around in the running game and looked comfortable in Arthur Smith’s wide zone scheme. Whenever the team went for more spaced out runs, Frazier was comfortable pulling and getting out into space. It wasn’t hard to see Frazier play well live, but the film reinforced that Frazier is playing at a high level.

The question now is when he’ll be able to play with the first team and how often the Steelers will let him play against first-team players during the remainder of the preseason. With the Buffalo Bills coming to town next Saturday, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Frazier get a promotion soon.