Zach Zenner proving scouting, patience pay off in the long run

The Detroit Lions are heading into the playoffs limping a little bit, but they may have an answer in the running game with Zach Zenner…

Zach Zenner hasn’t had the impact this year some other young running backs have had, but he’s providing the Detroit Lions with exactly what their offense needs as they sort of limp into the playoffs.

Detroit dropped three straight games to end the 2016 season, including a regular season finale against the Green Bay Packers at home in which the Lions could have secured the NFC North division title. The Lions have been one of the most clutch teams in the league this season, but they couldn’t find the magic over the past three weeks, for the most part.

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Heading into a playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, however, the Lions appear to have at least found some consistency at the running back position from young Zenner, who is in his second season with the team and is seeing his most significant action.

Zenner carried the ball 20 times against the Packers last weekend, and has 38 touches overall in the past two games. He’s totaled 202 yards as a runner and receiver on those touches with three touchdowns.

If you’ve been following along from the start, this type of production is not a surprise coming from Zenner. He was a phenomenal back at South Dakota State, where he rushed for over 2,000 yards three straight seasons.

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Zenner has always had the ability to plant his foot in the ground, make a cut, and burst upfield with some speed and force. He’s also got the ability to be deceptively nimble on his feet for his size between the tackles, and great deep speed down the field. While Zenner invites some contact, he’s also got the ability to be elusive in the open field as a receiver.

He knows his role in the game, and he’s becoming a major asset for the Lions in a playoff run.

This is the type of patience and player development you love to see in today’s NFL. Foolishly, Zenner was pegged by some as a fullback coming out of South Dakota State. There was nothing about his skillset that indicated he would be a good fullback. He’s always been an excellent running back with the ability to also make plays as a receiver, and he’s proving that versatility.

The Lions identified a gem in the undrafted free agent pool of 2015, and are now reaping the benefits of that scouting at a very critical time. The Detroit running game has struggled all season, but perhaps going into the playoffs, Zenner can provide the consistency they need to make a little run and make some noise in January.

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