Lions Draft Preview: Chandler Zavala Scouting Report

All Lions provides its scouting report on NC State Wolfpack offensive lineman Chandler Zavala.

You can never have enough offensive line depth. 

Just ask the Detroit Lions, which lost their starting right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai for the entirety of the 2022 season with a back injury. 

Evan Brown was a versatile member of the roster, but has since departed in free agency to the Seattle Seahawks. 

It's why Detroit general manager Brad Holmes already added veteran offensive lineman Graham Glasgow to the mix, via a free-agent deal earlier this offseason. 

And, Holmes might not be done, either. He could add another lineman through this April's NFL Draft. If so, former NC State Wolfpack left guard Chandler Zavala would be a great option for the Lions on Day 3 of the draft.

Zavala was an unheralded prospect coming out of high school. In fact, he played just one year of high school football at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, Va., before committing to Fairmont State. At the aforementioned Division II school in Fairmont, West Virginia, Zavala added some much-needed weight to play on the line, and became an All-American. 

From there, he transferred to NC State in 2021, but suited up for just five games as the result of a season-ending back injury. He subsequently earned a hard-fought medical waiver from the NCAA for the 2022 campaign, his sixth season of collegiate football.

The 6-foot-3, 322-pounder produced some good tape in his final season with the Wolfpack. He permitted just one quarterback hit and no sacks on 422 pass-blocking snaps, and also proved to be a more-than-capable run blocker. 

Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports

Also, he was invited to participate in this past February's East-West Shrine Bowl, and proceeded to have a strong showing. Yet, the NC State product was snubbed from the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

That didn't stop Holmes & Co. from bringing in Zavala for a top-30 visit earlier this March. Remember, a top-30 visit is one of 30 opportunities an NFL franchise has to bring in a draft prospect to its facility for interviews, meetings and physicals. 

Obviously, it's a sign that the Lions think highly of Zavala, who was recently named by The Athletic as the player he believes will be the highest-drafted non-Combine prospect this year.

CBS Sports offered some high praise for the lineman, after Zavala's solid week of practice at the Shrine Bowl. 

"Functional strength is equally as important as weight room strength. And in some cases, the former is more important. Zavala was a difficult matchup for interior defensive linemen during 1-on-1s. I thought his ability to effectively strike and steer DL was the best of all the offensive linemen this week."

Zavala has all the necessary physical intangibles to be a solid depth piece on an NFL team's offensive line. 

Subsequently, he'd be a great late-round find for Holmes & Co. in this year's draft.