This is the first installment of our 2024 NFL Draft preview series, in which our staff identifies several players that we believe are ideal fits for the Detroit Lions. While this series will mostly focus on options for the Lions’ 29th overall choice, we’ll start with a player who won’t be selected in the first round but is a favorite of Brandon Knapp to be selected later in the process.
Is it surprising that I want the Detroit Lions to choose a Michigan Wolverine? While Zak Zinter isn’t the only Wolverine I’d like to see in Honolulu blue, my motivation is different than the others. While the majority of the guards compared to the Lions are first- or second-round picks, Zinter is a great choice in the third round or later.
Zinter injured his leg in November 2023 during a 30-24 win 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 considered one of the top guards in the draft and a potential first-round choice. With the injury, despite Zinter’s claim at the NFL Combine that he felt 90 percent recovered and would be ready for training camp, teams are unsure how true that is.
Teams cannot consider Zinter as a Week 1 starter. Even though it is a horrible injury, a fractured leg heals faster than a torn Achilles or ACL. Teams should not expect Zinter to play right away in 2024, but he can certainly be a starting offensive guard in the NFL. That circumstance is ideal for Detroit, which does not require a starter and already has a veteran on a one-year contract in Kevin Zeitler, who Zinter might replace if picked.
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.
