Frazier headlines the crew, but who else could hear their name called or sign in free agency?
Catching up with Zach Frazier before the 2024 NFL Draft – The Gold and Blue Nation Podcast
He ended his Mountaineer career as one of the most decorated centers in program history, and as one of the top homegrown performers in recent memory. Now, the next step in Zach Frazier's football journey is quickly approaching. With about two weeks to go until the 2024 NFL Draft, Frazier sits down with hosts Ryan Decker and Anjelica Trinone to reflect on his WVU career, his recovery from a leg injury that prematurely ended his senior season and his preparations for the next level.
The next crop of NFL players will find their new homes over the next week, and more than a handful of former West Virginia University players are among the pool of eligible prospects.
Here are the nine former Mountaineers who entered their name into the 2024 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.
OL Zach Frazier
The heart and soul of the 2023 WVU team, Zach Frazier is the only surefire candidate to be selected in this year’s draft. Draft analysts have predicted that Frazier will be picked anywhere from the No. 24 overall pick to day three of the draft.
The Fairmont, West Virginia, native started almost every game he played over his four-year Mountaineer career. He only allowed four total sacks over that span, including just one in the past two seasons.
He earnedfirst-team All-America honorsfrom Action Network last fall while being named tothe second teamby The Sporting News, USA Today and The Athletic. He was also named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) 2023 Football Academic All-American Team and was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy.
He is the only Mountaineer who was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.
If he is selected in the first round, he will be the first Mountaineer to go in the top-32 picks since Karl Joseph went No. 14 overall to the Raiders in 2016. Geno Smith (No. 39 overall – New York Jets) was the most recent WVU second-round pick.
CB Beanie Bishop Jr.
Beanie Bishop Jr. only played one season in Morgantown, but his name will be held in high regard when fans look back on the 2023 season. Bishop Jr. started at outside cornerback for WVU, and he led the nation in passes defended (24) and pass breakups (20) while also recording four interceptions.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Minnesota transfer became the second cornerback in school history to earn NCAA Consensus All-American honors, and he was also named to the All-Big 12 First Team. He capped a strong Mountaineer career with a punt return for a touchdown in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
During college football all-star season, he competed with WVU teammate Doug Nester in the East-West Shrine Game. He also made national headlines when he ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the inaugural Big 12 Scouting Combine, which was the fastest of any participant.
OL Doug Nester
Nester, another West Virginia native, started in 52 of the 57 games in which he logged snaps at Virginia Tech and WVU.
After playing the majority of his collegiate career at right guard, he switched to right tackle for his redshirt senior season with the Mountaineers. He did not allow one sack this past fall.
He participated in both the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game this offseason.
WR Devin Carter
Another one-year Mountaineer, Devin Carter came to WVU last offseason from NC State looking to boost his draft stock. Despite missing one game, Carter led WVU in receiving with 27 receptions for 501 yards, and he also scored two touchdowns.
In five seasons at NC State, he recorded 118 receptions for 1906 yards (16.15 yards per reception) with 10 touchdowns.
LB Lee Kpogba
Lee Kpogba became a master of handling the WVU defense’s dirty work defending the run game as the team’s primary inside linebacker. Kpogba was the Mountaineers’ leading tackler in each of the last two seasons, and he was second on the team in tackles for loss (7.5) in 2023.
He came to WVU in 2022 as a junior after two seasons at Syracuse and a year at East Mississippi Community College. In five collegiate seasons, he recorded seven games with 10-plus tackles.
DB Marcis Floyd
Marcis Floyd joined the Mountaineers as a redshirt junior in 2022 after spending four years at Murray State where he earned two Ohio Valley Conference honors.
Floyd started in 18 games at safety across two seasons at WVU. He logged 113 total tackles, eight passes defended, a forced fumble and an interception during those two seasons.
In his final game with WVU in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, he recorded seven tackles, which included a sack, and a fumble recovery.
DB Malachi Ruffin
Should Malachi Ruffin land on an NFL roster, it would be one of the most inspiring stories coming out of WVU athletics this year.
Ruffin, who was unranked by recruiting services out of high school,showed up to Milan Puskar Stadium in August of 2018with no prior communication with the WVU coaching staff. He competed alongside 40-to-50 other players at the walk-on tryouts and ended up being one of five players invited to join the team by the time it was over.
Flash forward to August of 2021, Ruffin was officially put on scholarship, and by the end of the following season, he earned a starting role on Jordan Lesley’s defense. He recorded 77 tackles, three interceptions, 12 passes defended, and a forced fumble over 45 career games during his Mountaineer career.
DL Davoan Hawkins
Davoan Hawkins spent his first two seasons of college at Kentucky before playing three years at Tennessee State from 2020-22. Hawkins spent his final year of eligibility at WVU where he recorded seven total tackles, including two for loss, and two quarterback hits. He also blocked a field goal.
WR Noah Massey
Noah Massey played two seasons at Bowling Green before transferring to D-II Angelo State where he had a strong redshirt junior season. Massey became a Second-Team All-Lone-Star-Conference second team after hauling in a team-high 52 receptions for 684 yards and four touchdowns.
He received limited playing time for WVU in 2023.
