Zach Frazier, C West Virginia: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Frazier was a three-star recruit from Fairmont Senior High School in Fairmont, W.Va. in the class of 2020

The center class in the 2024 NFL Draft is very weak. The void early in the class could boost West Virginia center Zach Frazier’s stock. Frazier currently projects as an early to mid-day three selection.

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Zach Frazier, C West Virginia: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Fourth-year junior center from Fairmont, W.Va.

Background: Frazier was a three-star recruit from Fairmont Senior High School in Fairmont, W.Va. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 584 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 574 for On3.com. Frazier was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 74 grade out of 100. He served as a team captain as a senior, leading Fairmont to a 12-1 record and an appearance in the Class AA state semifinals. Frazier didn’t allow a sack in his senior season. That year, he helped Fairmont average 239.5 rushing and 205.9 passing yards per game. Frazier earned Class AA First Team All-State honors in 2019. As a junior, he led Fairmont to the Class AA State Championship and a 14-0 record. For his effort, Frazier earned Class AA First Team All-State and All-USA West Virginia First Team honors. He experienced similar success as a sophomore, leading his team to a 12-2 record and the state championship while earning Class AA First Team All-State and Second Team All-USA West Virginia honors. Frazier was even a Class AA All-State Special Honorable Mention as a freshman in 2016. He also wrestled, winning the heavyweight state championship four times and only losing two matches in his entire career. Frazier’s father, Ray, played football at Fairmont State.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed large portions of 2023 spring practices

Awards: 2020 Honorable Mention All-Big 12, 2020 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team, 2020 First Team True Freshman All-American (ESPN, 247Sports), 2021 Second Team All-Big 12 (PFF), 2021 First Team Academic All-Big 12, 2021 Second Team All-American (AFCA), 2022 First Team All-Big 12, 2022 First Team Academic All-Big 12, 2021-22 Iron Mountaineer Award

Pros: Experience playing left guard and center, frequently communicating assignments pre-snap, accurate snaps with few high or low balls, maintains a wide base, good core strength with a nice anchor, thick and resilient upper body to absorb punches, knows where his hands should go to maintain leverage, decent firepower in his hands, good understanding of blocking angles, uses body angles to keep the QB clean even when he’s being driven backward, made Keondre Coburn look silly (2022), finishing defenders to the ground left and right vs. Baylor (2022), made light work of Siaki Ika (2022), grip strength gave Gabe Hall trouble (2022), ideal mobility for combo blocks, mobility to climb and land second-level blocks, leg drive prevents him from losing ground in the run game to larger defenders, not pushed into the backfield on run plays, sustains and strings blocks out laterally in the run game, several plays in the run game where he forces the defender off balance and finishes him to the ground

Cons: Ten penalties committed between 2021 and 2022 combined, arms are shorter than ideal, twitchy and explosive defenders can cross his face, lateral footspeed, play strength isn’t always up to the task, T'Vondre Sweat’s play strength gave him problems (2022), pad level rises quickly, hand placement gets wide allowing access to his chest, speed to power drives him back, struggles to re-anchor when caught off guard by contact, defenders he’s blocking get plenty of looks at the QB to bat passes, occasionally late to see the stunt, feet are slow to redirect for delayed blitzers, dominance vs. Baylor (2022) was an outlier, defeated by swim and club moves, needs to sustain blocks longer on vertical plays, doesn’t generate much vertical displacement at the point of attack, struggles to mirror and sustain blocks on second-level defenders

Overview: Frazier played left guard for West Virginia in 2020 but moved to center for 2021 and 2022. He frequently communicates assignments and picks out defensive alignments pre-snap. Frazier’s snaps are mostly accurate with few high or low placements. He maintains a wide base and displays nice core strength to complement his anchor. The West Virginia native’s upper body is thick and resilient. It easily absorbs punches and heavy hits without affecting his balance. Frazier knows where his hands should go to maintain leverage, but his limited arm length prevents him from fitting his hands in ideal positions. He excels at framing defenders who enter a half-man relationship but struggles to maintain leverage against head-on defenders. Frazier offers decent power in his hands and upper body. He uses his understanding of blocking angles to keep the quarterback clean even when he’s being driven backward. Frazier had flashes of dominance against well-known competition in 2022. He sat Texas’ Keondre Coburn down early in their matchup, made light work of Baylor’s Siaki Ika, and used his grip strength to control Baylor’s Gabe Hall. The Baylor tape was an excellent showing for Frazier. He buried defenders left and right, but that level of dominance wasn’t apparent in other games against better competition. The All-Big 12 center excels at combo blocks and has the mobility to climb and land second-level blocks. However, he lacks the agility to corner and block second-level defenders consistently. Frazier’s leg drive prevents him from losing ground in the run game to larger defenders, but he doesn’t generate much vertical displacement at the point of attack. He sustains and strings blocks out laterally but lacks the play strength to drive through larger defenders. Frazier’s background as a wrestler shows up in his ability to force defenders off balance and drive them into the turf. The center’s largest areas for concern are his arm length and play strength. His smaller arms lead to him being outreached. Wide hand placement also contributes to defenders getting into his chest. Texas’ T'Vondre Sweat (2022) flashed play strength Frazier couldn’t counter. Speed to power drives the former three-star recruit back into the pocket. He struggles to re-anchor in these instances. Frazier lacks high-end lateral footspeed, and twitchy or explosive defenders cross his face. His pad level rises quickly after the snap. Frazier doesn’t threaten defenders with power in pass protection, so they can hold position, observe the quarterback, and jump to block the throw. The former AFCA All-American is late to see the stunts, and his feet are slow to redirect for these secondary pass rushes. Issues with his balance, arm length, and play strength lead to him losing to swim and club moves. Frazier needs to sustain blocks longer on vertical plays in both the run and pass game.

Overall, Frazier fights an uphill battle against concerns about his arm length and play strength that limit his ceiling as a prospect. Frazier has flashes of success against NFL-caliber players, but he also struggled to match the physicality of Texas and Pitt. He projects as an early-career backup center at the next level.

Role & Scheme Fit: Center in an inside or outside zone scheme

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Early Fifth

Size: 6'3", 311 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 07-24-23