Meet Up! Get to know new Browns OG Zak Zinter from high school to a national title and more

There is an immediate need for guard depth and future development 

The Cleveland Browns went into the 2024 NFL draft with six draft picks. In rounds two and three, GM Andrew Berry stood pat and did not participate in any trades. Berry is known as not only a trader but a shrewd broker of Cleveland’s future.

The Browns drafted Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall, Jr. in the second round. In Round 3, they had the #85 pick. Berry was patient as many exceptional players were plucked from the available prospect list. With the Browns’ pick, Berry took the University of Michigan offensive guard Zak Zinter (6’-6”, 322 pounds).

RELATED: ZAK ZINTER PROFILE

Which on the surface may appear quite odd.

Cleveland’s two starting offensive guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller are Pro Bowl athletes. So, why would they need to draft another guard, and in the valuable third-round breadth? Both of these players are being paid bank to play for the Browns. Bitonio’s cap hit in 2024 will be $12.135 million whereas Teller’s is $11.61 million.

Bitonio has been named First Team All-Pro twice, Second Team All-Pro three times, and has been voted to six consecutive Pro Bowls. Teller has earned two Second Team All-Pro designations with three consecutive Pro Bowls.

Again, why draft an offensive guard? In a valuable space known as the third round?

Simply put, Teller’s deal ends after the 2025 season in which he will be 31 years old. In his final year, he will be paid $21.91 million. The contract Bits signed also runs out after the 2025 season in which he would become 34 years old. That final year pays him $22.925 million. His deal has a three-year option that would cease after 2028.

Both players may restructure their deals in that those large numbers become almost negligible and more positive to Cleveland’s salary cap situation. And then again, maybe not. With these facts in mind, so that the franchise doesn’t get stuck in the future, it becomes necessary to make preparations for the possibility that one or both of the Browns’ interior offensive line may find employment elsewhere, become too expensive, or retire.

Zinter has the distinction of being able to sit and learn from the bevy of Pro Bowlers that Cleveland currently has in-house. And then when the smoke clears in a few years about the future of Bitonio and Teller, perhaps it will become Zinter’s time to pursue his own Pro Bowl journey.

But who is he? What is his story?

Beginnings

Zinter, age 23, spent the majority of his life in cold weather environments, but he was actually born in Florida. His folks are Paul and Tiffany Zinter who lived in Port St. Lucie, Florida until Zak was in middle school.

The Florida life taught Zak how to fish as the Zinters lived near the water. Fishing remains one of his favorite hobbies today. He once caught a 15-foot Hammerhead shark and an eight-foot sailfish which he released.

Then they relocated to North Andover, Massachusetts. He has a sister Kierstyn and a brother Preston who just completed his freshman year as a linebacker at Notre Dame. The family had gone to Zak’s Fiesta Bowl and Orange Bowl games and this past year’s national championship game.

Preston told NDInsider:

“Definitely super cool for me to see my brother go for that. It also puts into perspective what they had to do, and all the hard work they put in to get to that goal. And I think he’s putting in that work to reach those goals.”

As football brothers, the older Zak was able to relay information to his sibling as he learned how things operate at a high level like Michigan. He instructed his brother to get his playbook early as well as become dedicated to strength and conditioning programs. Zak offered Preston some advice about starting college early: Put your head down and work.

Kierstyn was a high school lacrosse star. She then received her own scholarship to the University of Tampa to play college lacrosse. Zinter’s dad Paul is a former college football player at the University of Central Florida. Paul’s father had played at East New Mexico, so Zak and Preston are third-generation college football athletes.

Zinter himself had enrolled in the School of Kinesiology, majoring in sports management. He set goals as a young kid, which grew into college goals, and then the aspirations became bigger. He is a Christian and is quick to display his faith in God.

Zak Zinter attended St. John’s Prep before relocating to Buckingham Browne & Nichols High School (BBNHS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts just 40 minutes south of North Andover. He played both guard and tackle on the football team and was already 300 pounds. He also tossed the shot put in track.

He started as a sophomore on the football squad and flourished. His head coach Mike Wiley told IrishSportsDaily:

“Great player, even better kid. He’s big, he’s a monster. He’s really strong. He’s a great weight-room person, a tough, athletic, offensive lineman. But also, just a great character kid and, great leader on our team. Just an all-around really good kid.”

Zinter was elected captain and was outstanding in the classroom. He made the principal’s list each semester.

In track, Zinter became the NEPSAC New England State Shot Put Champion as a junior when he threw the 12-pounder a whopping 49’-7”. He also flung the discus with his best distance being 140’-5”. His shot-put distance remains a BBNHS school record. He won a state title in the discus as a sophomore and two district crowns in the shot put. He was selected as both a Boston Herald and Boston Globe All-Scholastic athlete in track and field.

In football, he was ranked a four-star prospect and the 11th-best offensive guard in the nation. He was rated the third-best player in the State of Massachusetts regardless of position.

As a senior, Zinter had a ton of accolades:

1. USA Today All-Massachusetts Team
2. Super 26 All-State Team
3. PrepStar Magazine Top 150 Dream Team
4. Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association All-State (twice named)
5. All-New England Prep School Athletic Conference (twice named)
6. BBNHS Team MVP
7. BBNHS Lineman of the Year
8. All-Independent School League (twice named)
9. All-Independent School League Lineman of the Year
10. New England Prep School Athletic Conference Lineman of the Year

With all this success, the line from colleges who wanted his services was down the driveway, along the sidewalk, around the corner, and all the way down to the Quic Pic. He received offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Duke, UCLA, Auburn, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Michigan State, Harvard, Pitt, Tennessee, Stanford, Northwestern, Purdue, Boston College, UMass, and Connecticut.

Zinter had attended football camps at Boston College, Penn State, and UMass as a junior. He visited Ohio State, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Stanford, and Michigan, which he chose and signed a letter of intent on December 18, 2019.

He made four starts at right guard during his true freshman season and played special teams. As a sophomore, he played in 13 games with 12 starts at right guard. That Michigan offensive line unit won the Joe Moore Award, given to the top offensive line in the nation. Zinter was named Second Team All-Big 10.

In his junior campaign, Zinter was now the undisputed starter at right guard and started 14 games. Again, Michigan’s line won its second consecutive Joe Moore Award and Zinter was named First Team All-Big 10 and Second Team Academic All-American.

That season Michigan had gone 13-0-0 including a 45-23 win over Ohio State and beating Purdue 43-22 in the Big 10 Championship Game before meeting #3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl in the semifinals. Despite being favored, they lost 51-45. Zinter had an opportunity to forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft. He chose to stay and use that disappointment to help fuel their run to a national title the following year. Ultimately, he decided against declaring for the Draft, which didn’t surprise any of his family after Zak stated to them that he “had unfinished business.”

He told the Detroit News:

“We got there, and it really hurt losing in the playoffs. So, we’ve definitely got a chip on our shoulder and we don’t want to feel that again.”

In 2024, Michigan again went undefeated in the regular season, defeated #2 Ohio State 30-24, Iowa in the Big 10 Championship Game 26-0, #4 Alabama 27-20 in overtime in the semis, then slammed Washington 34-13 in the National Championship Game.

Zinter was unable to play in all of the playoff games, but he was there on the sidelines giving instructions and advice to his linemates.

As a senior, Zinter was again having an outstanding year. In the Ohio State game, he broke his tibia and fibula in the win over their rivals. While he was lying on the turf, the entire stadium was dead silent.

He had started 40 college games with few injury concerns, and now this.

He was invited to the Combine and the Reese’s Senior Bowl although he could not compete in either. Many draft sites used the injury to his disadvantage and slotted him down their boards. Pro Football Focus listed him at #163. WalterFootball.com had him #77 whereas on The 33^rd Team they ranked him #108.

For his senior year, he had 12 starts as captain and was First Team Academic All-American, First Team All-Big 10, Six Time Big 10 Offensive Player of the Week, and named First Team All-American.

Zinter is also a published author as he wrote an illustrated children’s book called “The Men Up Front” which was published on April 22 by Exit 56 Publications. The 34-page book explores offensive line play and Michigan traditions. The book launched at Michigan’s Spring Game.

LINK: THE MEN UP FRONT ORDER PAGE

Tiffany Zinter expressed on patch.com:

“(The kids) were so excited. (After getting Zak to sign) they had all three signatures now. It was so awesome to see the joy and excitement on their faces.”

Zinter’s movement limitations will likely regulate him to man/gap schemes if he is to be successful at the next level, but he does have sufficient power to get a shot at a starting role at some point in such systems. Zak Zinter is a solid player who would have gone earlier if it weren’t for injury concerns.

What should Browns fans expect from Zinter?

Zinter was ranked as the sixth-best offensive guard in this year’s draft. Here are his measurables:

Hand: 9 3/8”

Arm: 33 ½”

40 time: 5.3

Player rating: 83.2

Scouting report on NFL Draft Buzz:

Zinter’s tenure at Michigan showcased his ability to dominate in the trenches, underlined by his role in propelling the Wolverines’ run game to new heights. His knack for anchoring again powerful bull rushes and his prowess in executing second-level blocks make him a very solid prospect. Despite concern about his recovery from a severe leg injury, his tap reveals a player with the foundational skills to start at the next level, capable of holding his own as both a run blocker and pass protector.

While at Michigan, he was a film junkie which should help his ability to come in and learn quickly at this level. He was quoted:

“We’d go down there after classes into the film room and go over the plays and all that kind of stuff. It’s definitely going to be harder to work in some playing time, but if I can get in the rotation and show that I can make plays I feel I’ll be able to get myself on the field and maybe the first off the bench.”

Michigan has always produced excellent players along the offensive line. The fact that Zinter was part of this unit winning the Joe Moore Award in consecutive seasons says it all.

Zinter fits Cleveland’s blue-collar style. He likes to fish and hunt and played for a college team that wanted to win for the block letter “M” instead of individual accolades. He is coming to an extremely impressive situation for an interior offensive lineman who will be tutored by men who own an entire shelf of Pro Bowl hardware.

He will be able to follow in their footsteps and be given the time to develop.

Zinter’s solid collegiate career and blue-collar mentality – as well as being the “heartbeat of their culture” – fit the Browns’ offensive line room well.

WHY HE COULD SUCCEED:

His collegiate career is decorated with multiple accolades, including Three Time all-Big 10 honors and unanimous All-American recognition in 2023. Beyond the field, Zinter’s academic achievements are equally impressive earning him Three Time Academic All-Bit 10 and Two Tiem CSC Academic All-American titles. On the field, his 2023 season was particularly standout allowing only nine pressures on 389 pass-blocking snaps, cementing his reputation as a good pass protector.

WHY HE COULD FAIL:

He’s undersized and could be viewed as a rotational player only. Zinter’s performance against speed rushers and in space raises questions about his fit in schemes requiring high levels of mobility and quickness. Hopefully, he doesn’t have any more tendencies from his leg injury which will determine his success and longevity in the league.