Reaching for the NFL: Frazier hopes Pro Day success will lead to NFL opportunity
When Kavon Frazier thinks about the prospect of playing in the National Football League, it nearly brings him to tears.
The Central Michigan senior safety said he has spent his life preparing for the moment when the NFL would come calling. That moment could be a little more than a month away.
“When I was training down at Fit Speed in Florida, every morning I would think about it,” Frazier said. “It would make me so emotional and sometimes I’d tear up.”
Those emotions aren’t of sadness, but of appreciation of what he and his family overcame to be on the doorstep of the NFL. According to NFL.com, he’s projected to be selected between the fourth and seventh rounds in April’s NFL Draft — the only CMU player projected to be drafted.
“It’s crazy thinking about everything that I went through growing up,” Frazier said. “Just to get to this moment, not a lot of people get this opportunity that I got, so I’m just trying to live in the moment and make the most of it.”
Growing up in Grand Rapids
The journey to a potential spot in NFL for Frazier began in Grand Rapids, where he was raised by his mother Ida, his sister Kia and his older cousin Eddie Riley.Frazier’s mother Ida, who has multiple sclerosis, was in attendance for the pro day as well as Kia and Riley.
“It means everything,” Frazier said. “I’m really close with them. It means everything that they made it for this really important day.”
Ida placed her son into multiple sports at a young age because of his determination and persistence, which she said transfers to his dedication on the football field today.
“That’s just the kind of kid he was," Ida said. "When he made up his mind to do something, he didn’t let up. If I said no, he would keep bothering me until I said yes, so I put him in a lot of sports so he would stay focused.”
Ida said she brought Frazier up with a Christian faith and seeing her son excel at a high level is a blessing from the Lord.
“I’m so thankful that he even has this opportunity,” she said. “I’m sure that it’s something from God. It’s not something that I could have done.”
Regardless of where or when he’s selected, Frazier said receiving that call from an NFL team will be a life-changing experience.
“I can’t even explain how it’s going to feel,” Frazier said. “I think about it sometimes, but I really would never know until it actually happens. It’s kind of like your whole life would change in one phone call and one second. It would be one of the best moments of my life. I’m looking forward to it and hopefully I get that phone call.”
After earning second team All-Mid-American Conference honors as a senior, Frazier was the only CMU player to receive an invite to the NFL combine in Indianapolis in February.
However, after hours of medical evaluations and x-rays, tests showed he had a small fracture in his foot, which kept him from participating in all activities except the bench press. His 18 bench press repetitions was third among all strong safeties at the combine.
Combine and Pro Day Testing
After getting a second opinion, doctors told Frazier the fracture must have happened a long time ago, as tissues in his foot were already regenerating. He was cleared for activity.
Frazier had a second chance to impress the scouts at Thursday’s CMU Pro Day, where scouts from 29 NFL teams came to watch him and his teammates workout.
“I was very bummed out,” Frazier said about the combine. “I was just looking forward to coming here and showcasing my skills.”
Head Coach John Bonamego said Frazier is a player who could have a future in the NFL. Bonamego said he knew almost all of the scouts in attendance Thursday, as he spent 16 years coaching in the NFL.
“Having been invited to the combine, Kavon is clearly a guy that (the NFL scouts) have targeted,” he said. “I’m excited for anybody that gets that opportunity. It should be every football player’s goal. If you take something on, you’re selling yourself short if your goal isn’t to take it to the highest level.”
Frazier ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds and posted a 40 1/2 inch vertical jump, the highest for all the players at the pro day.
“I’m very confident I’m going to end up on an NFL team,” Frazier said. “You have to be confident especially at the next level. But at the end of the day, it’s God’s plan, so if it’s in God’s plan, then you know it’s going to work out for the best.”
Frazier has a workout with the Detroit Lions this week and his agent has been in conversations with the Carolina Panthers. He won't find out where he'll be headed before the NFL Draft, which is April 28-30 in Chicago.
