If Zach Frazier\u2019s early trajectory holds, the Pittsburgh Steelers may be extending an unmatched streak of excellence. From Ray Mansfield to Mike Webster, Dermontti Dawson, Jeff Hartings and Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh has an almost unbroken string of high-level center play dating back to the 60s. Hartings, often overlooked despite his Super Bowl XL ring, sees familiar traits in Frazier through his first two seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s really solid. He\u2019s doing a great job\u2026He reminds me of \u2014 not from the position that he\u2019s playing but from the mentality \u2014 of Alan Faneca,\u201d Hartings said on FOX Sports 970 AM with Tim Benz<\/a>. \u201cAnd what I mean by that, in a game, the effort that he gives on a play and then getting back to the huddle in between quarters. I mean, he\u2019s the first guy down the field sprinting down there to get ready\u2026He\u2019s a leader, and that\u2019s what a center has to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Faneca was of course a guard. He\u2019s immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as one of the best to ever play his position. To be mentioned in the same sentence as him in any aspect is a lofty comparison, yet that\u2019s what Hartings chose to do. He would know, having played with Faneca for six seasons during his stretch of consecutive Pro Bowl and All-Pro seasons.<\/p>\n Omar Khan said the Steelers owed it to themselves to find the next great center prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, and they did just that with Frazier. He hasn\u2019t made his first Pro Bowl yet, but it\u2019s only a matter of time with remarkably consistent play for a young offensive line that is on the rise.<\/p>\n