Zach Zenner is one of the more inspirational stories in the NFL. The former South Dakota State Jackrabbit was not selected in the 2015 NFL draft and was an afterthought as he joined the Detroit Lions on a UDFA deal. He then lit up the preseason, leading the NFL in rushing yards over those four games and earned a spot on the team’s 2015 roster.
His rookie year was fairly quiet, but he became one of the offense’s more important players down the stretch in 2016. With Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick struggling with injuries at the time, it was Zenner who stepped up late in the season.