Prospect Profile: Zach Frazier, iOL, West Virginia

Pass Protection

Quick out of his stance. His initial contact with the defender is very good no matter what pass set or situation. He has excellent punch timing and placement, especially when working with independent hands. He has natural leverage given he is a little undersized but he uses it expertly to stalemate rushers immediately. This means he plays with excellent play strength despite his size but he also has good power in his hands as a pass protector and good upper body strength to deploy. He has efficient footwork in all pass sets and is generally a good mover. Against Defensive Linemen not trying to beat him with a power move, he fights well to re-fit his hands and even defenders with active hands and good hand usage struggle to disengage from him. He has a solid anchor in most situations and has shown that he can reset and re-anchor but against bigger Defensive Linemen with longer arms and good play strength, he can be walked backwards into the pocket and is unable to rest. He has good processing and is mentally alert to stunts and blitzes, re-directing well to the new threat. All of this is true against 0 and 1 techniques but when he has to move more laterally in slide protection and pick up someone further away from him, he can be late to open his hips and will open a door for more explosive rushers with good upfield burst to penetrate.

Run Blocking

On Gap blocks he has good positioning and fit but he doesn’t finish the block particularly effectively. On Down blocks he gets his hands in the correct position but if the defender is able to hold him off and slowly constrict the running lane that block is trying to spring open, the defender can shed the block and tackle the runner in the gap. As a puller himself he moves quickly and shows off his fluid movement and good foot speed; if he’s kicking out the end man on the line of scrimmage he does an excellent job of this. He’s also competitive and nasty and will finish through the whistle, especially on these type of blocks. On Drive blocks he can land his hands well on a 0 technique and make the block functional but anything where he has to move at an angle and he can struggle although he will compete and will get his fair share of stalemates. On Drive blocks is where he’s most likely to give up a tackle for a short gain in his gap if he’s facing a DL with good hand usage. As Zone blocker, when he’s reach blocking, he shows his explosion and movement skills to position well for the block but he’s slow for his hips to turn on contact and while he often makes the block functional, sometimes by flattening the defender, he too often turns it into a Down block and ends up taking away running lanes for his RB. He can reach a 0 technique and competes with 1 techniques but the above is true for anything outside this. In space, he’s a very effective blocker. He positions well, understands the power angles at play, and can fit and finish on all types of second level defenders; he’s consistently good in this area.

SUMMARY
Frazier is a solid starting Center prospect in a scheme that features more Zone blocking than Gap. Good in pass protection but with some things to work on. Nasty, competitive.

PRODUCTION
JR: 806 snaps at RT
SO: 882 snaps at C
FR: 895 snaps at C
2020 Covid Year: 542 snaps at LG
INJURY: None

RAVENS FIT
Toughness 4
Intelligence 4
Versatility 2
Grit 4
Scheme 3