HEIGHT: 6'6"

WEIGHT: 309

HAND: 9⅜"

ARM: 33½"

WINGSPAN: 81⅛"

40-YARD DASH: N/A

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: N/A

BROAD: N/A

POSITIVES

— Accomplished, experienced and dialed-in player.

— Efficient footwork, timing and spacing in the run game.

— Uses his big frame and good hand placement to cover up, steer and wall off rush lanes on base, double-team, pulls and second-level blocks.

— Quick, accurate hands and solid anchoring ability helps him to latch and end the fight quickly against tighter alignments.

— Brings an aggressive, physical mindset with consistent leg drive to strain, finish and deliver jolt when uncovered in pass protection.

NEGATIVES

— Struggles staying in front of rushers who know how to tempo and set up their moves due to persistently drifting into oversets and losing across his face.

— Shows some stiffness in his lower half with high pad level that saps his power, gets him stacked and stalemated too often.

— Feet get stuck when having to redirect laterally, leaving him behind target.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 starts at right guard

— Team captain

— First-team All-Big Ten selection

— National champion

NOTES

— Born April 17, 2001

— 3-star recruit from the 2020 class, per 247Sports

— Won the state titles in shot put as a freshman and sophomore and discus as a sophomore in Massachusetts

— Suffered a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg against Ohio State on Nov. 25, 2023

— Suffered a broken right wrist in Sept. 2021 but only missed one game that season due to a lower-body injury

— 42 career starts, including 41 at right guard

— Starting right guard on the Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line in 2021 and was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy (Academic Heisman) in 2023

— Invited to the Senior Bowl but was unable to participate due to his leg injury

OVERALL

Zak Zinter is a four-year starter at right guard inside Michigan's run-heavy (61-39 run-pass split), downhill and multiple run scheme. He made 12 starts at right guard in 2023 before suffering a broken tibia and fibula in November against Ohio State. Zinter has a tall, broadly built frame with average arm length, athletic ability and play strength.

Zinter wins as a run-blocker by using an advanced understanding of the play's intent and what defenses are looking to do. He shows good timing, spacing and feel on all concepts.

Zinter does a nice job using his size to initially cover up his target with good hand placement to create leverage before churning his feet and straining to finish. This usually results in him being able to wall off defenders with his body positioning. He has middling power and redirect skills due to an upright, high playing style and below-average quickness that results in him getting stacked, stalemated and stepping under himself if caught off-guard by movement.

In pass protection, Zinter is a physical presence with good enough feet and hands to win most matchups by gaining quick control, corralling and grinding down momentum while looking to deliver body blows when uncovered. When rushers know how to tempo their moves with stutters, hesitations and feints, he usually takes the cheese, drifting into oversets and losing across his face.

Overall, Zinter is a competent, accomplished and mature player with the size, football intelligence and competitive toughness to add value to an NFL offensive line room as a quality depth piece. He has serviceable starter upside if he fully recovers from his leg injury.

GRADE: 6.5 (Potential Role Player/Contributor — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 130

POSITION RANK: IOL19

PRO COMPARISON: Andrew Vorhees

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

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