Halicke: Frazier, McCormick add much needed quality, grit up front

Watch the way Frazier processes this zone run. Frazier would initially most likely need to make a reach block on the 2-technique to the play side, but Penn State runs a run stunt. Frazier identifies that, so he improvises and walls off the 1-technique that penetrated the line of scrimmage. That helps open up the hole for the running back to gain a nice chunk of yards.

A big reason for knowing how to use leverage comes from his days as a wrestler in high school. For four straight years (2017 to 2020), Frazier was the heavyweight state champion in wrestling. The same leverage and strength that he used in wrestling helped him become one of the best center prospects in this year's draft.

Frazier plays with the natural leverage and feel that you’d expect from a former state-champion wrestler. Because of that, his base is always aligned properly, and he plays with good pad level and has a solid anchor to win blocks in both in the running game and in pass protection.

In the run game, Frazier is a physical blocker and knows how to finish. He's not the most athletic interior lineman. Among those in the Steelers' 2024 draft class, which is widely considered to be one of the most athletic, Frazier had the lowest Relative Athletic Score. But, he is more than athletic enough to execute zone blocking schemes, which could be very critical in Arthur Smith's wide zone offense:

This shows Frazier's quick step at the snap, his ability to move fast enough laterally to join the guard on the block to the 2-technique, establish a block and eventually take him and drive him to the ground.

That finish is consistent in Frazier's game. In my deep dive into Fautanu's tape, I saw that the Steelers' first-rounder always looked for ways to initiate and finish contact on every play. Frazier does the same. He's not satisfied unless his rep ends with him driving somebody into the ground.

In pass protection, Frazier doesn't have the best length, but has great extension mechanics. He moves very well laterally, has the smarts to recognize and pick up stunts and isn't overwhelmed by power rushes. He wasn't quite as successful as other center prospects such as Jackson Powers-Johnson in terms of numbers, but still only allowed seven pressures on 359 pass-blocking snaps in 2023, per Pro Football Focus.

If there's part of Frazier's game that needs the most development and could be a struggle right away, it's in pass protection. He's got a ways to go before it catches up to what he can do in the running game. But, Frazier will have Isaac Seumalo on his left and James Daniels on his right, two accomplished pass blockers in their own right. That'll aid Frazier as he grows.

Ultimately, Frazier has all of the tools to be a scheme-versatile starter at center right away. His versatility, strength and mobility makes him a great fit with the Steelers. Smith is known to primarily use wide and outside zone concepts in the running game, but the Steelers had such success running gap/man concepts in 2023 that I wouldn't be surprised if some of that's carried over into this new offense.

Regardless of what the plan is on offense, Frazier's versatile enough to handle it, perhaps even right away.

The same probably can't be said for McCormick, though the potential is certainly there. In fact, it's hard to not get too excited when watching McCormick's film because a lot of it ends up with him driving defenders into the ground:

In a vacuum, that collection of clips is enough to just hand him a starting job right away. But, context matters here. South Dakota State is an FCS school, which means McCormick played against a lot of competition that's far lesser quality than what any offensive lineman faces in Power Five conferences. Everything seen on film has to be contextualized.

But, to that point, McCormick dominated in the vast majority of the film I watched. In order to be a legitimate NFL prospect, he should be dominating when playing against some lower-level talent. 

McCormick possesses two traits that can translate across all levels of football. First, he has a true mauler's mentality. That's visible in the previous clip. He looks to finish every single block on top of the defender. There's a nasty level to his game that could make any coach happy.

Second, McCormick is extremely athletic. He posted a 4.45 in the shuttle and a 7.59 in the three-cone drill, both of which are elite marks. His overall Relative Athletic Score is 9.96, the highest in the Steelers' draft class. Having a guard that is both athletic and legitimately mean on the field leads to plays such as these popping up consistently on film:

McCormick (left guard, No. 60) really shows it all off here. If Smith expectedly runs a wide zone system, McCormick is more than athletics enough to move laterally and wall off defenders as he does here. Now, finishes such as these will most likely be few and far between since NFL defensive linemen are significantly better than FCS-level players. 

But, this is the type of rep you're looking for when spotting FCS players that stand a good chance of succeeding at the NFL level. This isn't just finding a defender and sending him flying. This is executing a block within the structure of the play. He just does it at a much higher level than a lot of his peers.

This is another rep of McCormick's I absolutely love. He gets out of his stance so quick and so smooth. The way he pulls, it almost reminds me of watching Alan Faneca, who's one of the best offensive linemen in Steelers history. Now, McCormick's got a loooooong way to go before he lives up anywhere close to that type of a comparison. Faneca's a bleeping Hall of Famer. My point is that he moves so effortlessly, which makes it much easier to execute blocks in space and on the move.

Assuming Fautanu and Frazier are both Day 1 starters, the Steelers will have five starting offensive linemen that are all capable of pulling. Add McCormick to that mix, and then the Steelers have at least one guy who can step in at any point and execute just about any block required in the playbook.

McCormick most likely won't supplant either Seumalo or Daniels this season. But, with Daniels heading into the final season of his contract, McCormick's an intriguing player when thinking about how the Steelers could fill that void should Daniels go elsewhere in free agency next spring.

When talking about FCS players, caution is always a healthy approach when setting expectations. Let's see how the kid looks when he's earning his stripes on Chuck Noll Field in Latrobe. Let's see what he looks like in the preseason. But, to emphasize what Meyer said, McCormick's approach to the game, along with a lot of dominating college film, makes him one of the more intriguing players I'm going to watch when training camp begins. The potential is certainly there.

Of course, the Steelers' 2024 draft class included much more than just offensive linemen. Be on the lookout for at least one other Chalk Talk later this week. This class is worth multiple deep dives.