NFL Draft: Scouting Report for Kavon Frazier

In the NFL today, players are being valued more for their versatility than ever before. Late round draft picks have become increasingly important, to bolster a franchise's depth and special teams lineup. As size and numbers have become a major aspect of the draft process, those without the top size and numbers in the draft have found their own niche in the league.

Kavon Frazier is the definition of a versatile football player. He started at safety at Central Michigan, and, more importantly, he thrived during multiple defensive style alterations due to a new coaching regime before his senior season. Scouts have fallen in love with his continued production, despite never spending more than a year in the same defense. Many believe that he can become a reliable back-up safety, and possibly even develop into a fringe starter.

Frazier boasts a favorable physical stature for an NFL safety, standing at 6-feet and 217 pounds. Thanks to a muscular frame, he was able to bust out 18 reps on the bench press at the combine. However, due to a stress fracture in his foot, Frazier only participated in the bench, holding off on the rest of the drills for his pro day.

At Central Michigan's pro day, Kavon Frazier definitely boosted his stock. His best 40-yard dash time was a 4.48, in addition to a 40.5-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-8 broad jump. These numbers jumped off the charts compared to the other athletes at the pro day, and scouts left Mt. Pleasant fairly impressed. His powerful speed and explosiveness have begun to raise questions among scouting circles as to whether he will fall to even the sixth round.

Looking past the numbers, Frazier stood out during his time at Central Michigan as a fierce, bruising safety who could lay the wood on any ball carrier, racking up 108 total tackles in his senior season. He is not afraid of playing in the box, since he was asked to do so on many different occasions. His versatility allowed for coaches to use him as another linebacker in some packages, but also as man-to-man defender on opposing tight ends in other situations.

In some cases, Frazier displayed some coverage deficiencies throughout the course of his career. These skills can be worked on, but, in college, he was not the most reliable defender against the pass. His athleticism and aggression, at times, proved to harm him by leading to overplaying play action or getting lost in coverage by biting on a head fake.

One last thing that sets Kavon Frazier apart from his peers in this year's draft is his incredible prowess on special teams. All throughout his career in Mt. Pleasant, Frazier excelled in this year, but in his final season, Coach Bonamego surely aided him with this aspect of the game, since he came from being the special teams coordinator with the Detroit Lions.

Special teams experience is an added bonus for NFL scouts, who are constantly on the lookout for players that project to contribute on punts and kicks. Frazier has proven his adeptness in this area, which will continue to shoot him up draft boards around the league.

It is possible that Frazier's name can be called early on Day 3 of the draft. At the beginning of the draft process, Frazier was widely seen as a sixth or seventh round pick, but his impressive performance in pre-draft workouts has awarded him more attention and praise.

Check out some of his highlights below: