ITG 148 - Zach Frazier At the Combine
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:06 In the gun episode 148 here of ITG and it is time to follow up on our guy,
00:12 Zach Frazier in Indianapolis at the 2024 NFL Combine.
00:17 What's going on everybody?
00:18 I'm Wesley Euler, joined by the signal caller today here as
00:22 this will be nothing too thorough.
00:25 This is just a Zach Frazier follow up because Jed, we've had a minor miracle.
00:30 And I'll tell you what it is in just a second before I thank Bet Online for
00:34 being a presenting sponsor of this podcast.
00:37 We all know Bet Online is where the game starts as we get into what,
00:42 March Madness coming up here soon, the NCAA tournament.
00:46 You got baseball starting soon, hockey and basketball are coming down the stretch.
00:50 So make sure you're going to Bet Online to get all your action here
00:54 as the sports calendar rolls along.
00:56 Jed, I had said in our previous episode where,
01:00 remember I had the Lucas oil in the background.
01:02 I was in Indianapolis and we were laughing about the white balance and
01:06 everything through the windows and kind of joking about how I was leaving town.
01:10 Indianapolis on Friday, Zach was speaking on Saturday and I was bummed because I
01:14 wasn't gonna have a chance to get audio for him on this year's,
01:20 kind of what we try and do in the past.
01:21 Get the WVU players that are at the combine while I'm there to have some
01:25 exclusive audio and things like that that we can use.
01:27 Well, like I said, a miracle happened and Jed, we've got that audio.
01:32 Zach's full podium availability, including two questions that you'll see were
01:37 heavily influenced by one Mr. WVU who might sit here on this podcast from week to week.
01:44 Jed, what if I told you the nice guy, the nice young man,
01:48 I say that he's like two years older than I am.
01:50 The guy who got this audio and asked the questions for me, for us,
01:55 is none other than Christopher Carter, who is the Pitt beat writer for
02:01 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for the football and basketball teams there at Pitt.
02:05 He's a Pitt grad, a Pitt beat writer, a Pitt fan,
02:09 a, of course with all that, West Virginia hater.
02:12 But such a good buddy, such a nice guy that he was front row.
02:16 You'll hear this audio here in just a minute.
02:18 You'll see the video if you're watching on YouTube as well.
02:20 I mean, he's 4k right in front of his face for ten minutes and
02:24 gets our two questions in there as well too.
02:26 So just wanted to make sure to shout out now our only Pitt Panther friend,
02:32 Christopher Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for
02:34 the audio you'll hear here in just a minute.
02:36 >> And when you say Christopher Carter, I think Chris Carter.
02:41 And when I think Chris Carter, first of course,
02:43 I think of the NFL receiver for the Vikings.
02:46 >> Yes, of course.
02:47 Keep going.
02:48 >> Second, I think of the creator for the X-Files.
02:50 >> Yes, keep going.
02:51 >> There's a long list of Chris Carter's, right?
02:52 >> There's one more big one.
02:54 >> Well, okay, the actor?
02:55 >> So you know the radio show that's been syndicated for
03:01 like 40 years called Breakfast with the Beatles?
03:04 It's on the weekends across like- >> Okay, that's Chris Carter.
03:07 >> The original host of Breakfast with the Beatles,
03:09 his name is Christopher Carter as well too.
03:11 >> Okay, well, and kudos and hats off to this Christopher Carter.
03:17 It had to be one of the highlights of his career.
03:20 He's not used to stepping into high football cotton like this, right?
03:24 >> That's right.
03:25 >> Thank you, all joking aside, thank you, Christopher Carter.
03:28 >> Without a doubt, and yes, at some point, maybe next year before the brawl,
03:32 we'll have to have him come on here and
03:34 preview the Pitt side of things or something with us.
03:36 He's a great guy.
03:37 He's a great friend.
03:38 He covered the Steelers for a long time, still does, but
03:41 is with the Post-Gazette covering the Pitt Panthers now.
03:45 So we're gonna take a break, we're gonna play this audio.
03:48 And like I said, it's almost ten minutes long of Zach at the podium.
03:51 He talks about everything from WVU fans and his time as a Mountaineer.
03:55 He talks about, of course, that last play against Baylor.
03:58 He talks about some of the teams that he's met with so
04:01 far throughout this combine process, his healing, all that stuff.
04:05 It's Zach's full media availability at the podium there.
04:09 Like I said, two of these questions, my buddy Chris texted me and
04:12 he was like, we're gonna get Zach, what do you want me to ask him?
04:15 I was the one who came up with two of these questions.
04:17 So we'll get into that audio here in just a minute before we do
04:21 another thank you to our guy JR and our friends at Toothman Ford.
04:24 We all know cars cost less in Grafton, so
04:26 make sure you're getting your butts to Grafton there.
04:30 One more time, gonna take a break here.
04:32 We'll have that Zach Frazier podium availability on the other side.
04:36 A thank you to our guy Chris Carter for bringing us this audio.
04:39 Zach Frazier, when we return, you are in the gun.
04:42 >> Nobody supports the blue and
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04:45 With over 20 NIL deals and counting,
04:47 Toothman Ford continues to rally behind our student athletes.
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05:07 Toothman Ford, where cars cost less, in Grafton and at ToothmanFord.com.
05:11 >> For more West Virginia Mountaineer football content,
05:16 be sure to follow us on Twitter @InTheGunPodcast.
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06:24 [MUSIC]
06:28 >> If you work the land, you just gotta be a jack of all trades type.
06:32 There's just too much to do.
06:33 So if you gotta be a welder, or a farmer, or a ditch digger,
06:38 that's just who you are that day.
06:39 Then tomorrow, you can be somebody else.
06:43 [MUSIC]
06:49 >> Get your Coyote at the new location of Johnston Equipment,
06:52 between Weston and Buckhannon.
06:55 >> Yep, everything's good.
06:56 >> I was wondering, you were caught up in medicals, they said.
06:59 >> Yeah. >> We were a little worried about it.
07:00 >> Yeah, so I got an x-ray and MRI on two different areas, and
07:06 then one team wanted to see the other.
07:09 So I don't know, one team asked for it, you gotta go get it.
07:12 >> Which team seemed most interested in your MRI?
07:14 >> They're just the team doctors, I don't think that, yeah.
07:19 >> [LAUGH] >> How would you describe your progress
07:22 then, rehab-wise and all that?
07:23 >> It's good so far, I feel like I've been able to recover pretty fast.
07:26 As far as where I'm at, I'm able to, I can run a 40, I can do a shuttle.
07:33 I'm training for that now.
07:34 But I'm gonna end up waiting to run those at Pro Day.
07:39 But I wanted to show my progress, so I'm gonna do position drills here and
07:43 bench, just to show where I'm at.
07:46 >> So you'll be ready to go for OTAs then, it sounds like.
07:48 >> Yeah, should be, yeah.
07:49 >> When do you expect to be 100%, not even worried about it?
07:52 >> I would say by Pro Day, hopefully, that's about another month out, so yeah.
07:57 >> Have you been with the Cowboys this week?
07:58 >> Yeah. >> Was that formal?
08:00 >> Yeah, it was formal.
08:00 >> How'd that meeting go, and what do you think about it?
08:03 >> Yeah, it was a really good meeting.
08:04 Liked all the coaches, and I had a good time in that meeting.
08:10 >> Is the injury hurting your draft stock, do you feel at all?
08:14 >> I don't think so.
08:15 Just from the injury standpoint, I was lucky that I just broke the bone.
08:20 I didn't do any ligament damage.
08:23 If I did do ligament damage, maybe that would hurt it.
08:26 But the doctors just told me that bones heal, and I'll be all right.
08:30 >> You kinda became a folk hero in Pittsburgh by the way you got off the field
08:35 to save your team time, and that was this injury, wasn't it?
08:39 >> Yes.
08:40 >> What have you heard about that play, and what are you hearing?
08:45 >> A lot of the teams were impressed with it.
08:48 In the moment, I was just trying to do whatever I could to help the team out.
08:54 A lot of people would tell me that I won the game.
09:00 I don't really feel that way because our center came in,
09:06 had perfect snaps, made perfect calls.
09:10 I feel like I maybe gave them a chance to win, but those guys that came in and
09:15 executed on the last four plays, they did a great job.
09:18 >> Did you know in that moment that you broke your leg when you went down?
09:21 >> I didn't know what I did.
09:22 I knew something wasn't right.
09:24 So I was in a lot of pain.
09:26 And I knew it wasn't just a sprained ankle.
09:29 >> But you knew in that moment you had to get off the field for
09:31 the 10th to avoid the 10th second run.
09:32 >> Yeah. >> Hopefully that was your main.
09:33 >> Yeah.
09:34 >> Now you grew up in Fairmont.
09:35 >> Yes, sir. >> So were you a Steelers fan?
09:38 >> I was a Dolphins fan.
09:40 Sorry, yeah.
09:40 My dad's from Florida, came to Fairmont State to play center there, and
09:45 that's how he met my mom.
09:47 But he named me after Zach Thomas, linebacker there.
09:51 So that's why I've always worn 54.
09:54 >> So you're more of a Dwight Stevenson guy than a Mike Webster guy?
09:57 >> Yeah, no, Mike Webster, yeah.
09:58 >> Okay. >> Yes, yeah.
09:59 >> So this is the second year that Fairmont's had a guy in the NFL draft.
10:03 What's special about Fairmont?
10:05 Or what does that mean, what is your hometown?
10:07 >> Yeah, I mean, that means a lot, especially to have a guy like Dante.
10:10 We went to the same high school, obviously.
10:12 That's pretty special to come from the same high school, go to the same college.
10:17 And then to be here, it's really special.
10:20 It means a lot, especially to our city and where we came from.
10:24 >> So how would you describe your style as a center?
10:28 >> Physical, yep, my goal is to put people on the ground.
10:33 And then also pretty level-headed,
10:36 I have to make all the calls and study throughout the week.
10:40 >> A lot of centers classify themselves as smart guys, at least the good ones.
10:44 >> Yeah. >> What separates being a smart center,
10:46 being a knowledgeable center from maybe the rest?
10:50 >> Yeah, so for me, you have to make all the calls for the whole line.
10:54 And you have to communicate that from tackle to tackle, even tight ends.
10:58 So for me, it's just the preparation throughout the week,
11:02 studying your opponent, trying to find little tells that they might be giving
11:07 away blitz, stuff like that, looking at feet.
11:09 Just really trying to gain an edge in that perspective.
11:14 >> What's something you wanna work on?
11:16 You've been talking about your intelligence and your athleticism, but
11:18 what would be something that you feel could hold you back or
11:21 you need to improve upon?
11:22 >> I'm pretty hard on myself.
11:26 I don't feel like I do anything perfect.
11:30 I feel like I could always be better, whether it's my hands, pad level,
11:35 footwork, I'm not perfect.
11:38 I could improve in every area.
11:40 >> Talk to Benny Bishop at the Shrine Bowl, and
11:42 he kinda just talked about how different it is playing with West Virginia and
11:44 with those fans.
11:45 So what's your experience been like at the school and with that fan base?
11:49 >> Yeah, I feel like Beanie and Doug Nester should be here.
11:54 That's just my opinion.
11:56 I feel like he had a great season, Doug too.
11:59 I feel like they should both be here, but as far as the fans,
12:03 it just means so much.
12:05 Cuz I grew up in West Virginia first, so growing up there as a fan first,
12:11 you just know how much WV means to the people that live there.
12:16 And to be able to play for them, you see it in the stands,
12:19 you see it in the fans, it's a special feeling.
12:22 >> How aware are you of the Steelers' tradition at center?
12:25 >> Yeah, I'm pretty aware.
12:27 >> And you're aware it's wide open right now?
12:29 >> Yeah. >> And everyone's looking for
12:31 the next guy?
12:32 >> Yeah, yeah, they've had, like you said, Mike Webster and
12:36 obviously Marquise Pouncey.
12:38 >> Jermani Dawson's in there, Jeff Harding's.
12:41 >> Definitely.
12:43 So yeah, I know they have a long tradition of having really solid centers.
12:47 >> How did having a dad from a football family and a mom from a wrestling family
12:50 shape you to the athlete that you are today?
12:52 >> Yeah, I feel like it was a perfect combination.
12:55 My dad was my football influence.
12:58 So from a young age, he was my coach, taught me technique,
13:03 really just worked through me and developed me.
13:06 And also grew my love for football at a young age.
13:10 And then my mom came from a wrestling family.
13:15 All three of her younger brothers were state champions and her dad was too.
13:18 So really, she taught me how to prepare for wrestling matches,
13:23 football games, just from a mental standpoint.
13:26 And then also a physical standpoint, what to eat, drink, stuff like that.
13:32 >> How was she as a fan?
13:33 >> What's that? >> How was she as a fan?
13:34 Cuz I've seen some mothers.
13:36 >> Yeah, she was screaming in the stands, yeah.
13:38 Yeah, definitely, I could hear her.
13:40 >> Yeah. >> Zach,
13:40 would you say you're more confident as a pass blocker or a run blocker?
13:43 >> Run blocking is definitely my favorite.
13:47 I like when we can tee off on some people.
13:49 And pass blocking is fun too, but for me, I'd rather, I'd run the ball all day.
13:55 >> Have you had any with the Eagles at all?
13:58 >> I have not.
13:59 >> Your hand play from- >> Yes.
14:01 >> If they took you with a rookie quarterback,
14:04 do you feel like you could keep your protection closed down by September?
14:07 >> Absolutely.
14:08 I feel like I work very hard and that's something that I would study as soon as I
14:13 can, and I feel like I'm a good student of the game and
14:17 I'll work with the coach to get everything down better.
14:21 >> How do you think the quarterback setup you've had over the years at WVU,
14:24 going from a JT Daniels, Garrett Green, Jared Daggie, different types of
14:28 quarterbacks- >> Yeah.
14:30 >> Has prepared you for this point that you have dealt with almost every different
14:33 style of quarterback an NFL team could have?
14:36 >> Yeah, and all those guys are some of my best friends.
14:41 Just I feel like that center quarterback relationship is strong.
14:45 But yeah, we've had pocket passers and then Garrett that'll take off and run.
14:51 It's really cool to play for different types of quarterbacks, like you said.
14:58 And Garrett was nice because if anyone on the line got beat,
15:03 he'd just take off, so really nice from a line standpoint.
15:08 We like that he didn't take sacks.
15:10 >> How much has wrestling- >> Did you say that you maybe watched,
15:14 since you have the family from Pittsburgh, growing up and
15:17 watching maybe the Pouncey Twins, whether it be Mike or Marquise, and
15:20 have you spoken to the Steelers formally here at the top line?
15:23 >> I've not spoken to them formally.
15:25 Yeah, I grew up, I still watch the Steelers.
15:29 I'm just a fan of football.
15:31 So growing up, watched a lot of the Dolphins.
15:33 And then once I got to college, I didn't follow them as closely,
15:40 cuz I was obviously more focused on playing the season.
15:43 But yeah, I grew up watching both those guys.
15:46 >> How much is wrestling played in and
15:50 what feedback do you get from these NFL coaches regarding your wrestling?
15:53 >> It's something that I think I've talked about with every team that I've met with.
15:59 So I think they take it as a positive that I wrestled and
16:04 something that they can see in my game.
16:06 >> How well would you have done in Pennsylvania, four state titles still?
16:09 >> I'm always gonna bet on me, so yeah, I think so.
16:15 >> Great, thank you everybody.
16:16 >> Thanks.
16:16 >> Our guy, destroyer of worlds, Zach Frazier there at the podium.
16:22 The clarity of the audio, the clarity of the video.
16:25 One more time, our buddy Christopher Carter.
16:27 I wanted to mention this to Jed.
16:29 I know there's a lot of crossover Steelers and West Virginia fans,
16:32 WVU football fans, Steelers fans, much like yourself, right?
16:36 If you are a Steelers fan, Steelers junkie,
16:39 Chris hosts a great Steelers podcast called Locked on Steelers.
16:43 He does an episode every day, Monday through Friday.
16:46 So big thanks to our guy Christopher Carter again for securing that for us.
16:50 And wanted to make sure to give him that plug for his podcast as well too.
16:54 Another thank you to our friends at Fortis and our guy Rick Lewis for
16:58 roof performance and financial security guaranteed.
17:00 You gotta visit fortis.us.com.
17:03 Jed, of course that about nine and a half minutes of audio there.
17:06 There were a lot of little nuggets in there that if you already listened to our
17:09 interview with Zach Frazier, ITG episode 145, of course,
17:13 which is available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
17:17 You would know things like his dad was a big Miami Dolphin saying
17:20 they weren't a Steelers family being in Fairmont.
17:22 They were a Dolphins family because his dad grew up in Florida.
17:26 And he was actually named after Zach Thomas, right?
17:28 Of course, legendary linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, things like that.
17:32 You heard Zach talk about his injury again and
17:35 his thought process of getting off the field, which we discussed on ITG.
17:39 Of course, Jed, as you've outlined many times,
17:41 the first time that Zach has publicly discussed that was right here on ITG.
17:45 And of course, once again, too, just Zach being the type of guy he is,
17:48 being the type of teammate he is, I loved him highlighting again.
17:52 He made sure in that audio there, he said, Doug Nester and
17:55 Beanie Bishop should be here.
17:57 He said, yeah, my story of getting off the field against Baylor is great.
18:00 But you know what, if Jaheim White and Garrett Green and
18:03 Brandon Yates don't come in and get us down the field and win that game,
18:07 it's not the same story.
18:09 So much of what we expected from our guy Zach there in that nine minutes and change.
18:14 >> Consummate team player, I mean, he really is.
18:20 Between the lines, the film was gonna represent well.
18:24 They're gonna fall in love with them.
18:26 Coaches, front office personnel, scouts,
18:29 they're gonna fall in love with what they see on the film.
18:33 But then when you get outside the lines, the things that don't surface on the film,
18:37 the things that those in the building will tell you.
18:40 That's truly what makes Zach Frazier the special guy that he is.
18:45 >> And I told- >> We talked about, go ahead.
18:47 >> I was just gonna say, I told you, we talked to Dane Brugler of the Athletic,
18:51 who for my money is the best draft Nick out there.
18:55 I think he gets it the most accurate.
18:56 I think he does the best job of that whole ecosystem of people who kind of make
19:01 a career off of the NFL draft and the combine and that whole process.
19:05 He told us, guys, Zach Frazier is going to be the easiest person to sell in
19:09 a war room at this entire draft.
19:12 Like, nobody is gonna have to stand up and
19:14 opine very hard to get their organization to draft this guy.
19:18 He's one of the easiest sells I've ever seen in terms of telling your general
19:22 manager, your scouts, or your owners, or your coaches why you should draft this guy.
19:27 >> I don't think it's hyperbole, Wes, to suggest that not only is Zach Frazier
19:33 gonna play a long and fruitful NFL career, but I'll be somewhat surprised
19:38 if in a handful of years down the road, we don't see Zach Frazier mentioned
19:43 in some of the same circles as the Cam Haywards of the world,
19:48 the Walter Payton Man of the Year type conversations.
19:52 I mean, that's what Zach Frazier is gonna confer upon an organization,
19:56 not just the level of play that he brings.
19:59 But we've said so many times, just hours after the toughest loss of his
20:05 college career at Houston, he was with Garrett at the W Cancer Center
20:10 visiting a cancer patient early the next morning.
20:14 That's one of many things you could say about what Zach does,
20:18 the type of person that he is.
20:21 It is gonna be an easy decision for somebody in an NFL front office,
20:25 somebody on an NFL staff.
20:27 He's gonna play for a long time, and he's gonna bring value and
20:31 quality not just to your roster, but to your locker room and to your culture.
20:35 I can't say enough about it.
20:38 If Zach Frazier is a stock, I would have been buying him a long time ago,
20:41 but you better be buying him now, right?
20:43 There's no doubt about that.
20:45 And when you get to know his family, when you get to know what they're all about,
20:50 you understand what it is that makes him tick.
20:53 Really both sides of the family in their own unique way pitched in.
20:57 His mom's side of the family and what his mom meant to him and
21:01 his granddad on that side and the wrestling background on his mom's side of
21:05 the family and then his dad, you heard Ray joke on the show.
21:09 He's like, hey, I always say that I gave him everything from the neck up, but
21:13 from the neck down, I don't know where that came from, right?
21:15 But cuz Ray's a very smart football guy.
21:19 So that's what I see with Zach.
21:22 I see him getting in a room, even in a 15 minute interview,
21:26 they're gonna gain some insight into the type of person he is, what makes him click.
21:30 But you get him on a grease board and start asking him to identify Mike,
21:34 make a call, how would you adjust to this front, this look, this blitz package.
21:40 That's when he's gonna start to stand out because then you're gonna recognize
21:44 what you're seeing on tape isn't by accident, it's very much by design.
21:48 And I'm just terribly excited for Zach.
21:51 Again, the Steeler fan in me, the greedy Steeler fan in me,
21:55 I'm hoping he's right up the road for a long time.
21:58 But wherever he goes, we've said it before and I'll say it again,
22:01 we're gonna have another favorite team to cheer for in the NFL.
22:04 >> 100%, 100%.
22:05 If he's not a Steeler, I hope he goes to a team that has really cool jerseys so
22:09 I can buy one.
22:09 How about that?
22:13 But yeah, no, you're spot on there, Jed, for a litany of different reasons.
22:17 I like how, so that was the two questions.
22:20 So again, my buddy Christopher Carter,
22:22 who we will have to get on the podcast here at some point.
22:24 Cuz he really knows his stuff and he'd be really good to do a preview with.
22:29 He texts me and says, hey, we're getting Zach here in the next ten minutes.
22:34 There's only a few because, so Zach got held up longer at his medicals,
22:38 as we would imagine, right?
22:39 I mean, he just broke his leg a couple months ago.
22:42 That's very normal for people in his position.
22:44 That's not a red flag or anything.
22:45 Teams just are a little more thorough and wanna test it and analyze it and
22:49 ask him about it more, obviously, again,
22:52 because he just broke his leg around Thanksgiving.
22:55 So he was later than- >> No surprise,
22:56 he's moving around like he is.
22:57 >> Right, right, exactly.
22:59 And again, this was my fifth or sixth NFL combine.
23:02 This is not a rare thing.
23:03 This is a very normal thing for guys that are dealing with recent injuries.
23:07 So all the offensive linemen were gone at the point that Zach got to the podiums.
23:12 And Jed, honestly, probably 90% of the media was gone too,
23:15 because they had to go and write their stories and get on to the next thing.
23:19 It was probably only eight, nine, ten, 11, 12, something like that,
23:23 people that were there still for Zach's media availability.
23:26 And the funny part of it, if you listen to that clip too,
23:29 he gets asked a lot about the Steelers, because a lot of them were Pittsburgh
23:32 people that, that's the story.
23:33 Here's this kid from Fairmont, could he end up a Steeler, local-ish,
23:38 within kind of that Pittsburgh media bubble, if you will.
23:41 So the two questions, Chris goes, we're gonna get Zach in the next ten minutes,
23:46 and there's only a handful of us here, so I'll be able to get him for questions.
23:50 Cuz sometimes those scrums, there's 50 people there, and God bless you,
23:54 trying to get everyone screaming and yelling over each other and things like that.
23:58 >> Or gaggle.
23:58 >> Yeah, right, right, he goes, there's only a few people here, so
24:02 text me and tell me what you want me to ask them, and I will do it.
24:06 The first thing was, how did having a dad from a football family and
24:09 a mom from a wrestling family shape the athlete you became?
24:13 And you kinda just touched on that.
24:15 We heard him talk about that on episode 145.
24:19 Again, though, I just thought that would be a really good question for
24:21 him to sink his teeth into at the podium.
24:23 And as he's done, and as you heard there, he did.
24:26 And then the second one, which Jed, I'm pretty proud of myself.
24:29 This one is being picked up by all the WVU media.
24:33 I feel like I do this every year.
24:34 The WVU social media guys, they gotta like me,
24:37 because I tee up Letty Brown with the West Virginia questions.
24:40 I tee up Dante with the Letty.
24:42 I tee up Will Greer and Gary Jennings and Yodney Kajust and
24:47 David Long with the West Virginia questions.
24:50 And then they get to use all that on social media.
24:52 But I said to Chris, I said- >> They have.
24:55 >> Ask him about the, and they have, yes.
24:58 Ask him about this being the second straight year that little Fairmont,
25:02 West Virginia has produced an NFL draft pick.
25:05 What does that mean to you?
25:06 What does Fairmont mean to you?
25:08 And you heard Chris ask that and Zach answering that.
25:12 And remind you, that's Chris Carter from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
25:16 Degree from Pitt, covers Pitt for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
25:20 And he was kind enough to do that all for us.
25:23 So once again, big, big thanks and a big shout out to him.
25:25 But Jed, the final thing too, one of the things there that is important to note is
25:30 Zach is still in the process of recovering from that leg injury.
25:34 He said in terms of what he's doing, cuz you and I are recording this on Sunday
25:38 afternoon, and the centers and the offensive linemen are actually working out
25:41 right now as we record this.
25:43 In terms of what Zach is participating in, Sunday, March 3rd and
25:49 Monday, March 4th, which are the offensive line days there at the combine.
25:53 He said, and I quote, as far as where I'm at, I can run a 40, I can do shuttle.
25:57 I'm training for those now.
25:59 I'm gonna wait to end up running those at my pro day.
26:02 But I wanted to be here to show my progress.
26:04 So I'm gonna do position drills here and
26:06 I will bench press here just to show where I'm at, end quote.
26:09 So again, understandable.
26:11 Those things like the 40 yard dash, like the shuttle,
26:13 guys spend months training for those.
26:15 So Zach just wants to give himself a little bit more time as he's behind
26:19 the eight ball recovering from that injury, I should say.
26:22 But he's gonna do some positional stuff there.
26:24 He's gonna bench press, which takes place on Monday morning, March 4th.
26:28 And then Jed, more of the running specialized stuff at his pro day here in
26:34 a few weeks.
26:35 >> Yeah, and from a measurable standpoint,
26:39 Daniel Jeremiah at Move the Sticks on Twitter, on X.
26:44 He put his measurables up.
26:47 Zach came in at 6'2.5", 313 pounds, no major surprises there.
26:53 Now, one of the things that's been discussed is hand measurement.
26:56 You and I had this conversation.
26:58 His hands are 10 7/8 inches,
27:03 which are much larger than most quarterbacks, to be honest with you.
27:06 >> Yes, yes. >> The average quarterback doesn't
27:08 have a hand that size.
27:08 As a matter of fact, even large handed quarterbacks don't
27:12 typically have hands that size in the NFL.
27:15 And then his arms, 32 1/4.
27:19 Now, when you look at centers, they might be on average a touch longer than that.
27:24 But this isn't a liability or
27:26 an indictment that's gonna be heavily held against him.
27:29 His wingspan, 78 1/2 inches.
27:31 You can have a different conversation with interior linemen,
27:35 especially centers, and you would at tackles.
27:38 But for instance, tackles are expected to have a much broader wingspan.
27:43 And the conversation doesn't even start with a tackle until you get to 80.
27:46 So I don't think a center at 78 1/2 is gonna be held against him too awful much.
27:51 But I mean, there were games this year, Wes, for instance,
27:54 Dante Corleone, one of the more formidable defensive linemen in the entire Big 12.
27:59 One of the things that Zach was able to do against Dante Corleone,
28:03 Dante Corleone was rendered effective in the Cincinnati game against West Virginia.
28:07 In large measure because Zach kinda held him literally at arm's length.
28:11 Zach used his own arm's length and own reach to keep Corleone at bay and
28:17 hold him away.
28:18 And Corleone's a guy, even though he's not an Indy,
28:20 he's probably gonna be in somebody's camp, right?
28:23 He's gonna sound as a probably either a late round pick or undrafted free agent.
28:26 >> He could still be a sixth or seventh draft pick, certainly.
28:29 >> Sure he could.
28:30 >> Beanie's not at the combine, he could still be drafted.
28:33 >> No, absolutely, a lot of these guys who aren't an Indy are gonna be selections
28:36 and at least free agent signings.
28:38 >> And Jed, some of these guys who are an Indy 2 aren't gonna get drafted.
28:41 I mean, that happens every year too.
28:42 >> Absolutely, absolutely, that definitely happens.
28:45 So Zach's played against a lot of high level competition.
28:50 And when you go back and watch the tape, whether it was those D lines at Texas,
28:54 excuse me, Texas Tech had edge rushers, K State had edge rushers,
28:58 Texas had obviously a lot of bulk on the interior.
29:01 So throughout the course of his career at West Virginia,
29:04 Zach has seen a lot of NFL caliber front seven defenders.
29:08 >> No doubt. >> So there's a lot of tape to watch and
29:10 evaluate.
29:11 And I think Zach's gonna fare very well, not just when they watch the tape, but
29:15 as we talked about, when they sit down and get to know him,
29:18 when they put him on the grease board, when they test his knowledge and
29:21 his football IQ, he's gonna play somewhere for a long time.
29:24 >> And I think that's the way to end it.
29:27 Jed, I said this to you on the episode we recorded last week when I was in Indy, but
29:31 I think it bears stating again.
29:33 When I got to Indianapolis last Monday, which would have been what, February 26th,
29:39 I thought Zach was going to be a early to mid second round pick.
29:44 Now I think he's got a chance.
29:46 I would still say early second round, but
29:48 now I think he's going to be a late first, early second round pick.
29:52 I think he's given himself that shot.
29:53 Still wouldn't say it's likely, but if you tell me right now he goes between pick
29:57 29, 28, and 32 there at the end of the first round, wouldn't shock me either.
30:02 And I did not think that was possible just a couple weeks ago.
30:05 So he is, again, one of those guys that's very easy to sell to a war room.
30:10 And I can't wait to see where he lands here.
30:13 What, about seven, eight weeks from now.
30:14 >> And of course, one of the things that I'm typically pulling for
30:19 with Mountaineers, I remember having these feelings with Gina.
30:22 If you're not gonna be a top half of the first round pick, I would like to see you
30:27 sneak into that late first round instead of the early second round.
30:30 >> Go to a good team, right?
30:31 >> Just because of the quality of team you're gonna land on, absolutely.
30:33 So I would love that for Zach.
30:36 If you're one of those five or six teams picking the bottom of the first round,
30:40 outside the exception of a crazy trade or something of that nature,
30:42 you're gonna be on a pretty good football team.
30:45 So- >> Absolutely.
30:46 >> Let's see. >> Hey, Niners wouldn't be so bad, right?
30:49 Lions wouldn't be, I guess the Chiefs and
30:53 the Ravens both have very young, very good centers.
30:56 So they're probably set.
30:57 But again, he could still be there at 31 and some team picks up the phone and
31:01 says, hey, we want Zach Frazier, we'll give you this and this to move up.
31:06 He's given himself that opportunity and make no mistake about it,
31:09 he goes out at his pro day and runs well, continues to check all those boxes.
31:13 Like I said, I thought early second to mid second, now there is no chance in
31:18 the universe, in the stratosphere that he's getting picked in the 50s by
31:20 the Steelers.
31:21 It ain't happening, he ain't lasting that long, no chance.
31:25 So it'll be a lot of fun to see where this process ends for
31:29 him while it's also beginning at the same time, right?
31:32 The start of his NFL career.
31:34 I do laugh sometimes at how much we make of this whole process, but
31:37 it is such a big deal for the biggest game that we have in this country.
31:41 So a final thank you to our new friends at Johnston Equipment.
31:45 Make sure you're checking out their new location,
31:48 Route 33 right outside of Weston there.
31:50 And a thank you to our guy Skyler Callahan for throwing the,
31:53 I'm putting Skyler to work a little bit on this one, Jed.
31:56 He's got the video to insert in there, a little more.
31:59 He's fine, who am I kidding?
32:00 This is still JV work.
32:02 And speaking of which, Skyler I saw on his Twitter account was posting
32:06 the videos of some of the positional drills that Zach was doing at the combine
32:11 on Sunday, so make sure you're checking out Skyler's Twitter account as well too,
32:15 if you wanna see some of those clips.
32:16 >> Sure, Mountaineers now will have an article probably,
32:18 I'd say he's working on some of that.
32:20 >> So the one thing we ask you before we get out of here as always is to be in
32:24 here and tell in here about your new favorite WVU football podcast.
32:28 For our producer Skyler Callahan, the runaway beer truck Owen Schmidt,
32:32 the signal caller Jed Drenning.
32:33 I am Wesley Euler, take care everybody and we'll talk to you soon.
32:37 You've been in the gun.
32:38 [BLANK_AUDIO]