The draft stock of West Virginia center Zach Frazier has continued to rise and the potential Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 NFL Draft target has now entered the conversation as a first-round pick. In the latest latest mock draft by Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com, Frazier is projected to be taken at No. 29 overall in the first round by the Detroit Lions.
In the mock draft, Frazier was be the eighth OL taken off the board, out of the 10 projected to go in the first round.
The Fairmont, West Virginia native capped off his Mountaineer career as an All-American and finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. Frazier appeared in 47 games for the Mountaineers over a four-year span. Frazier’s great career at West Virginia came to an end during the Baylor game on Nov. 25 when he suffered a leg injury.
Frazier attended the Senior Bowl, but was not able to participate due to the injury. He has continued to recover over the last few weeks and still earned an NFL Combine invitation.
Frazier’s strong recovery from his injury and his ability to show his full health before the draft has him rocketing up draft boards. A player that was routinely linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the team’s second-round pick, the Steelers may need to use their first-round pick at No. 20 overall , trade back or trade up in the second round to make sure they get Frazier at this point.
Frazier’s NFL Mock Draft Database average continues to have him most likely to be a second-round pick, and still within the range of the Steelers. He’s currently the No. 50 overall prospect. But the recent returns have been much kinder to Frazier. Four consecutive mock drafts captured by the database have Frazier going in the first round, as high as 25th overall.
ESPN’s Matt Miller still has the Steelers landing Frazier in the second round in his latest mock draft.
“Frazier, coming off the leg injury, he was trying to go at the Senior Bowl,” Miller said during a recent conference call with Steelers Now. “He was advised not to do that. But he’s gonna be healthy, ready to go. Four-time all-state high school wrestler, I think perfectly fits that mentality the Steelers want on their offensive line. He’s incredibly tough, physical, but the agility to play at the second level is absolutely perfect. I think with a new offensive coordinator coming in, it’s going to be a lot more RPO, a lot more inside run, and I think Frazier fits that perfectly.”
A former all-state wrestling champion, Frazier has off-the-field leadership intangibles to go with his strong play., WVU head coach Neal Brown showered Frazier with praise once it was clear his college career was over, highlighting how much his final play shows his intelligence as a player.
“I can’t say enough about Zach Frazier. So appreciative of him and his family. I think one play sums up who he is for his entire career, and I just hope our fanbase, a young man from Fairmont, I think he’s the best center in college football,” Brown said.
A version of this story first appeared at our partner site, West Virginia Sports Now.