The Cleveland Browns added in the trenches on the offensive side of the football like they always do in the NFL Draft.
In the third round, they found Zak Zinter, a former Michigan standout who played a lot of football there.
With OTAs off and and running, Zinter is getting his first taste of Berea and his teammates are getting the baits to learn who he is. Pro Bowl RG Wyatt Teller gave his initial thoughts on Zinter this week, as he met the guy who plays the same position for the first time.
"Yeah, no, great kid. My initial thoughts – works hard, you know, coming off an injury, can’t tell, which is good. You know, obviously he has a little sock over it, but he’s tough and I love that,” said Teller on Thursday. “I commend him on that. There’s a lot to learn. When I got into the league I was a fifth-round draft pick, so he’s better than me. But he’s a great kid and I know he’s going to work hard.”
Zinter is indeed coming off of a broken leg from his senior season that is completely healed now. That injury was suffered against his new teammate Mike Hall Jr., who was with the Buckeyes in college. The two have matched up three times in the rivalry.
There is no clear path to playing for Zinter unless either Teller or Joel Bitonio gets injured, even then the Browns still have Michael Dunn to throw into the fire. Dunn is a player that the Browns have come to trust over the last few years. Still, it is a plus if Zinter can be quality depth until when/if his time to start comes in Cleveland.
If Zinter is already being recognized as a hard worker, by someone like Teller that is a good sign. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Zinter may need to add more strength to his frame, but he already has a lot of experience as a pulling guard, which is something the Browns have done often in the past.
It appears that Zinter has given a good first impression to one of the leaders at his position and that’s the way you want to start things in the NFL.
