By Ross Jackson
The last time the New Orleans Saints invested highly in a UTSA defender, things didn’t quite go as planned. The team selected Marcus Davenport 14th overall in 2018. He would spend five unproductive, injury-plagues seasons in New Orleans before the two sides went their separate ways.
But that shouldn’t stop them from going back to the well now and then, especially when there’s a highly-productive defender that could be selected at a much more palatable price in this year’s NFL Draft.
UTSA cornerback Zah Frazier is one of the more underrated coverage defenders in this year’s draft class. The small school prospect is still drawing interest from multiple teams, however–the Saints included.
Per Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, the Saints were among a trio of teams that made it a point to get eye on the 6-foot-2, 186-pound cornerback at his pro day.
“The Saints, Falcons, and San Francisco 49ers sent coaches and scouts specifically to watch Frazier,” Pauline wrote.
Frazier was very productive his senior year with the Roadrunners, which put him on the map for several more teams throughout the process.
2024 Stats
- 24 combined tackles
- 1 tackle for a loss
- 6 interception (led the AAC)
- 10 passes defended
- 1 fumble forced
Most impressively, the cornerback has also been notched with a single career missed tackle, two by Pro Football Focus (PFF). That’s huge for a team that will want its corners active in run support like New Orleans. He was also only called for three career penalties with two his senior year over 498 defensive snaps, per PFF.
Zah Frazier is the next high upside Day 3 CB from UTSA. He isn’t quite as athletic as Riq Woolen but he has better college tape.
– 6-3 with long arms
– 6 interceptions in 2024 (2nd most in FBS)
– Overwhelming press CB
– Only 1 career missed tackle— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) December 13, 2024
Pairing that production with his promising size, though he will likely be asked to put on some weight in the pros, is already enticing. But then his pro day numbers get added to the mix and it’s no mystery why the Saints were among teams looking closely at the young prospect.
- 40-yard-dash: 4.36
- Vertical: 36.5 inches
- Broad jump: 10-foot-6
- Shuttle: 4.26
- 3-Cone: 6.11
- RAS: 9.43
Frazier is an impressive prospect that really only has the level of competition question to answer. But as a potential day three investment, he would be well worth the selection. New Orleans has lost both of last year’s Week One starting cornerbacks since the trade deadline. The team traded Marshon Lattimore to Washington and Paulson Adebo signed with the New York Giants in free agency.
While they can turn to second-year corner Kool-Aid McKinstry and their reunion with Isaac Yiadom to help lessen that blow, further investment at the position makes sense. That would allow slot corner Alontae Taylor to return to the inside role in new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s defense.
New Orleans likes having four starting caliber corners. With those three in the building, second-year corner Rico Payton and a late-round, high-ceiling pick like Frazier, the team shouldn’t have much trouble finding that quartet.
