Zach Frazier Discusses Being Drafted by Steelers

The West Virginia product talks about getting the call from Pittsburgh.

Mar 3, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; West Virginia offensive lineman Zach Frazier (OL23) during the / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Most players who are drafted by an NFL team are speechless. The moment the phone rings, they're overwhelmed with emotion and are seeing their dreams turn to reality in a blink of an eye. In Zach Frazier's case, he was speechless... on the Steelers' side of the phone call that is.

“So I got the call and I could hear them, but they couldn't hear me. I was going all over the house trying to figure out where I could get the best service but it all worked out," Frazier said with a laugh. "It was an unbelievable feeling to have that weight lifted off your shoulders and just have that relief of knowing I finally got picked and that I got picked here just right up the road.

"I knew it was a possibility (to be drafted by Pittsburgh). Of course, you don't get to pick and you don't know what's going to happen, so there's a lot of uncertainty. But as the picks kept getting closer to Pittsburgh, I kept getting more and more excited because I knew that was a possible spot for me. When I saw the 412 area code, I knew right away. And actually in our meeting during the pre-draft process, Coach Tomlin joked around and said 'don't answer the phone unless it's 412,' So once I saw it, I knew right away."

The Steelers have had tremendous success with the center position for many decades and head coach Mike Tomlin feels strongly about the former Mountaineer continuing that long, storied tradition of high level play at the position.

“He needs no endorsement from me. You guys are pretty familiar with him. He’s a regional guy. He’s a tough competitor. He was an instant contributor in Morgantown. He’s got an awesome background from a read perspective, a high school wrestling champ, and I’ve got a lot of respect for that combat sport. Just really comfortable with him as a player and as a person.”