Hunter Nourzad, C Penn State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Nourzad was an offensive line recruit from The Walker School in Marietta, Ga. in the class of 2018

Olu Fashanu rightfully received most of the attention among Penn State’s offensive linemen this past year, but center Hunter Nourzad was also impressive. Last season was Nourzad’s first time playing center in a full-time role, and he set himself up well to be a top 125 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Hunter Nourzad, C Penn State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Sixth-year redshirt senior center from Marietta, Ga.

Background: Nourzad was an offensive line recruit from The Walker School in Marietta, Ga. in the class of 2018. He did not receive a star rating or grade from 247Sports, Rivals, On3.com, or ESPN. Nourzad transferred from Cornell to Penn State for the 2022 season. In high school, he was a two-year captain who earned All-State honors from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia Athletic Coaches Association twice. Nourzad was an All-Region selection three times, including two First Team bids. As a senior, he was named the Regional Lineman of the Year and earned a First Team All-County selection. Nourzad also lettered in lacrosse and track and field, earning All-Region honors in shot put.

Injuries & Off-Field: 2020 season canceled due to COVID-19, suffered minor in-game injuries vs. Ohio and Indiana in 2022, missed the Central Michigan and Northwestern games in 2022, did not work out at NFL Combine due to injury

Awards: 2019 Second Team All-Ivy League, 2021 First Team All-Ivy League, 2021 Second Team AFCA FCS Coaches All-American, 2021 Phil Steele Ivy League Offensive Lineman of the Year, 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, 2023 Second Team All-Big Ten

Pros: Meaningful experience playing left tackle, right tackle, left guard, and center, penalized three times in the past two seasons, massive 10.75-inch hands, 33 1/8-inch arms, 79 3/8-inch wingspan, arm length advantage shows up on tape, explodes out of his stance, natural leverage advantage, strong punches to deter interior rushes, strong enough to pull defenders down and pancake them, polished and powerful trap move, heavy hands, strong clamp, stout anchor with a sturdy base/lower half, dominated Ty Hamilton (2023), diagnoses second level blitzers, can execute reach blocks, enough juice to pull on gap runs, works to the second level on combo blocks, gets outside the hashes on screens, surprising straight line speed off the line, flashes of generating displacement with large frame and leg drive

Cons: Pad level could be lower, initial hand placement can be wide in pass pro, vulnerable to swim moves, tunnel vision in pass pro at times, still learning to recognize post-snap action along the defensive line, chases the wrong man on stunts, agility tested when redirecting for stunts, consistently beaten by stunts vs. Ohio State (2023), lunges into some run blocks leaving him vulnerable to swim moves, ideally would displace linebackers more in the run game, body positioning makes life easier on defenders in the run game, needs to sustain run blocks for longer, outmuscled in the run game by Michael Hall Jr. (2023), didn’t look overpowering against the smaller Logan Lee (2023), ran himself out of plays with poor angles at the second level

Overview: Nourzad has meaningful experience playing left tackle, right tackle, left guard, and center, although 2023 was his first year playing more than two dozen snaps at center. He has some impressive measurements for a center. Per MockDraftable, which tracks NFL Combine data and measurements since 1999, Nourzad ranks in the 92nd percentile among centers in weight, 71st percentile in wingspan (79 3/8 inches), 69th percentile in arm length (33 1/8 inches), and 96th percentile in hand size (10.75 inches). That arm length advantage shows up on tape. Nourzad explodes out of his stance and makes use of his natural leverage advantage. His strong punches deter interior rushers, but he also has a polished and powerful trap move. Nourzad’s heavy hands and strong clamp empower his upper body work, but his hand placement can be wide in pass protection. His lower half is stout with a sturdy base. Very few college players have the power to walk the Georgia native back into the pocket. He just doesn’t get overpowered often, and that should translate to the NFL. Nourzad diagnoses second level blitzers, but he routinely fails to spot stunts and ends up chasing his defender instead of passing him off because he gets tunnel vision. He is still learning to recognize and anticipate post-snap movement and games along the defensive line. Stunts test Nourzad’s agility and ability to redirect quickly to cut off defenders who are already building up a head of steam. As a run blocker, he has the mobility and explosiveness to execute reach blocks, and he has the juice to pull on gap runs. The All-Big Ten selection works to the second level on combo blocks and gets outside the hashes to make an impact on screens. He has surprising straight line speed off the line for a player with his size. Nourzad shows flashes of generating displacement with his large frame and leg drive, but there are also plays where he doesn’t hold his blocks long enough or fails to vertically displace smaller defenders. Ohio State’s Michael Hall Jr. had his way with Nourzad in the run game (2023), and the center didn’t look too powerful against Iowa’s Logan Lee (2023), who is a leaner interior player. The sixth-year lineman has natural leverage, but his pad level could still be lower. His body positioning makes life easier on defenders in the run game by providing a softened path for them to the football. He also runs himself out of plays by taking poor angles to second level blocks when climbing inside or pulling. Nourzad occasionally lunges into run blocks, which makes him vulnerable to losing to swim moves immediately.

Overall, Nourzad is a large center with arguably the best anchor at his position in the draft and good mobility for gap or inside zone run schemes. His inexperience playing the pivot showed in 2023, but the physical tools exist for Nourzad to become a starting NFL center early in his rookie contract.

Role & Scheme Fit: Future starting center in an inside zone or gap scheme

Round Projection: Late Third to Mid Fourth

Size: 6'3 1/8", 317 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 03-15-24