Why the Lions should draft Zak Zinter in 2024 NFL Draft

Why the Lions should draft Zak Zinter in 2024 NFL Draft

Editor’s Note: This is the beginning of our 2024 NFL Draft preview series, where our staff selects several players that we believe are great fits for the Detroit Lions. While this series will mainly focus on options with the Lions’ 29th overall pick, we begin our series with a player who won’t be selected in the first round, but is a favorite of Brandon Knapp’s to be picked later in the draft.

Should it be a surprise that I want the Detroit Lions to draft a Michigan Wolverine? While Zak Zinter isn’t the only Wolverine I would like in the Honolulu blue, my reasoning for him differs from the others. While most of the guards people are matching with the Lions are first or second-round options, Zinter is a great option in the third round or later.

The reason is that Zinter broke his leg back in November 2023 in the 30-24 victory over Ohio State, ending his season and career at Michigan as he declared for the NFL Draft. If Zinter finished the season healthy, he would be in the discussion of the top guards in this draft and a possible first-round pick. With the injury, despite Zinter saying he felt about 90 percent back at the NFL Combine and would be ready for NFL training camp, teams don’t know how true that can be.

With that, teams can’t consider Zinter as a Week 1 starter. Even though it’s still a gruesome injury, a broken leg has a quicker recovery time compared to a torn Achilles or ACL. Teams shouldn’t expect Zinter to start right away in 2024, though he certainly can be a starting offensive guard in the NFL. That situation is perfect for Detroit, a team that doesn’t need a starter and has a veteran on a one-year deal in Kevin Zeitler, whom Zinter could replace if drafted.

Overall, it’s the perfect formula. Let me explain why and get you on board with the Detroit Lions drafting Zinter in the NFL Draft.

Collegiate history

During his four years at Michigan, Zinter greatly impacted how well the offensive line played. Zinter appeared in 45 games, starting in 42, with all but one at right guard. Zinter was one of the top linemen on the team, and he was part of the 2021 and 2022 Joe Moore Award-winning offensive lines, given to the best offensive line in the country.

Zinter improved as time went on, as his PFF grades increased every year, starting with a 59.9 offensive grade in 2020 and finishing with a 76.6 in 2023. During his time at Michigan, outside of winning the Joe Moore Award, Zinter was a first-team All-American in 2023 and a three-time All-Big Ten selection. He was also voted team captain in 2023.

Zinter helped Michigan win three straight Big Ten Championships from 2021 to 2023 and the 2023 National Championship. While he couldn’t play in the 2023 Big Ten Championship game and the College Football Playoffs, his impact in the first 12 games was massive. When he broke his leg against Ohio State, the fans around The Big House chanted his name as he got onto the cart and was taken off the field.

Zinter’s strengths

Zinter was a leader at Michigan, and being voted team captain helped prove how much his teammates respected and trusted him. At Michigan last season, Zinter’s 76.6 offensive grade from PFF had him tied for 17th for guards who played at least 20% of snaps in 2023. His run-blocking grade of 75.8 was 23rd, and his pass-blocking grade of 73.8 was tied for 105th. While the rankings aren’t that high, the grades are pretty good overall, as he had the second-highest grades for Michigan’s offensive line in 2023.

Zinter is a better run blocker than pass blocker, which is perfectly fine for a run-heavy team like Detroit. That requires zero adjustment from Zinter, who played for one of the most run-heavy offenses in the country at Michigan. Zinter can jump out and run to the outside, find a man, and make him irrelevant. If he has to stay inside and block, he is fine with that, too.

While his pass blocking isn’t as good as his run blocking, he is still a good pass blocker overall. He is violent, can overpower defensive linemen, and eliminates them with his toughness and force. Now, this isn’t your average pass-blocking snap, but having a guy who can quickly eliminate a defender is something you want to have on your offensive line.

In a traditional pass-blocking scenario, Zinter can hold his own. He often doesn’t get overwhelmed with power and can keep the defender away as long as possible. In his four seasons at Michigan, he only had eight penalties called on him, so he rarely gets flagged.

Back to Zinter’s run blocking skill here, not only can pull and help on a toss play, but outside of doing his traditional run blocking against a defensive lineman, he can help move to the second level and open up more holes for his running back. Zinter isn’t afraid to move bodies around and take on the next target to help his running back move behind him. Funny enough, who did NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein compare Zinter to in his draft profile? Graham Glasgow.

How does Zinter fit?

The offensive line is the bread and butter in Detroit. If the offensive line isn’t good, the offense will suffer. Quarterback Jared Goff won’t have time to throw to his wide receivers, and running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs will have issues finding holes.

The Lions certainly have a big question mark when it comes to their future at guard. They lost Jonah Jackson in free agency in 2024, and they replaced him with veteran Zeitler, but on a one-year deal. Zeitler is 34, and the Lions may need to replace him after the 2024 season. Zinter can take the 2024 year to sit behind Glasgow and Zeitler, learn some things, rest and heal from his broken leg, and take over and be a starter in 2025. Also, Zinter has played most of his career as a right guard, where Zeitler plays.

Zinter coming in helps the offensive line get younger and cheaper. While Penei Sewell is 23 going on 24 years old, center Frank Ragnow will be 27 going on 28, Glasgow at 31 going on 32, and left tackle Taylor Decker at 30 going on 31. If the team wants to build around its offensive line, they need to be proactive in keeping it youthful and complement big, expensive contracts (like Sewell’s incoming extension) with affordable rookie deals.

So overall, Detroit would be happy to have Zinter on their team. He doesn’t need to start right away, even though he could, and he can take this season as a redshirt season, learn from the vets, and take over in 2025. Lions general manager Brad Holmes loves taking on a player with an injury history, as you can see with some of his previous draft picks.

Zinter is a dominant offensive guard who isn’t afraid to get messy on the interior and comes from a program that loves to run football. So joining a pro team that wants to do the same thing is an easy transition.