Top 2024 NFL Draft Prospects that played for the West Virginia Mountaineers: Zach Frazier leads the board

On Thursday, the three-day NFL draft process will begin -- and there will be some former West Virginia football player vying to be selected in the seven-round affair. Let's take a look at a few of the WVU Mountaineer alumni most likely to hear their name called over the next few days.

Zach Frazier, Center

Projected: Second Round

A Fairmont, W.Va native and a Fairmont Senior High School alum, Zach Frazier leads WVU's draft prospects -- according to NFL Mock Draft Database, Frazier is ranked No. 43 overall amongst draft prospects and is projected to be drafted early on Day Two of the Draft as a second-rounder. There is noise from analysts, however, that he could move up into the first-round.

Frazier has reportedly received heavy interest from Pittsburgh, with other teams seen as a good fit including Dallas and Carolina.

At WVU, Frazier was a four-year starter along the offensive line, anchoring an offense during his senior season that finished third in the nation in both rushing yards per game (228.9) and total sacks allowed (10), and was 27th nationally in total offensive yardage per game (434.6). He was named first-team All-Big 12 Conference and received invitations to both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine.

Beanie Bishop Jr., Cornerback

Projected: Undrafted Free Agent

Beanie Bishop came to WVU in 2023 with one season of eligibility remaining and some high hopes. The Louisville, Ky. native transferred in from Minnesota after being a role player in their defense and transformed into a consensus first team All-American -- now, he's garnering NFL Draft interest.

While still projected to go undrafted by many analysts, Bishop had a chance to impress scouts in an East-West Shrine Bowl appearance and dazzled at the Big 12 Pro Day in March, running a combine-best 4.39 40-yard dash on two separate attempts. Beanie recently said in an interview that he's talked with Pittsburgh, Washington, and Cleveland and that he is "for sure" receiving more attention from NFL scouts as of late.

At WVU, Bishop registered 64 tackles and led the nation in both passes defended (24) and pass breakups (20) and was second nationally in forced incompletions (17). He also brought back a punt return for a touchdown during a Duke's Mayo Bowl win in his debut as a returner.

Doug Nester, Offensive Tackle

Projected: Undrafted Free Agent

Also a West Virginia native -- a Spring Valley High School alum hailing from Kenova, W.Va -- Nester is currently ranked No. 387 overall and projected to go undrafted by the NFL Mock Draft Database.

While not receiving an NFL Combine invite and not making much noise during his Big 12 Pro Day appearance, Nester did attend the East-West Shrine Bowl and Hula Bowl and has attracted attention from Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Green Bay, and Houston.

Nester brings experience playing at both tackle and guard on the offensive line and experience in multiple programs and schemes -- before spending three seasons in Morgantown, including starting with Frazier on last season's impressive offensive line unit, Nester started his career at Virginia Tech and saw action in numerous games.

READ MORE ABOUT WVU FOOTBALL BELOW: