The Pittsburgh Steelers were very clearly in the market for a long-term solution at center this offseason. Omar Khan said at the 2024 NFL Combine that they owed it to themselves to find the next great Steelers center. The Mason Cole experiment didn’t work out, and his contract was terminated early before the start of free agency. They kicked the tires on veteran C Mitch Morse, but he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and would have been a short-term solution anyways. They ended up satisfying that need with West Virginia C Zach Frazier in the second round.
Playing at West Virginia, Frazier was just an hour’s drive away from Pittsburgh, and they were able to get familiar with him throughout his college career as a result.