Zane Durant Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Penn State Athletics)

School:Penn State

Class: Senior

Position: DT

HT: 6’1

WT: 294 lbs

Background: Zane Durant was a 4-star defensive lineman in the class of 2022 out of  Lake Nona, Florida. He was a top 50 player in the state and top 50 player at his position. Zane comes from an athletic background as his father, Marcus, played football for Florida A&M, his sister, Arielle, played basketball at FIU, and his other sister, Gabrielle, ran track at UCF. Zane finished his senior season at Lake Nona High School with 15 sacks and 28 TFLs, earning Florida 8A second team all-conference. He also competed in weightlifting and shot put for Lake Nona. He holds the school record in shot put. Zane Durant committed to Penn State over Indiana, Miami, and others.

College: Durant appeared in every game as a freshman in 2022, tallying 5 acles and a sack. He became a starter as a sophomore in 2023, making 17 tackles and 5.5 TFLs on his way to an All-Big 10 honorable mention selection. He had a breakout junior season in 2024 with 42 tackles, 11 TFLs, and 3 sacks. He was named an All-Big 10 honorable mention selection again. 2025 saw Durant’s production decline in a nightmare season for the Nittany Lions as he had 4.5 TFLs and 4 sacks, being named an honorable mention once more.

Strengths: Zane Durant uses quick-twitch athleticism to win on the interior against both the run and passing game. Durant does well to use his movement skills against angle blocks in the run game to prevent himself from getting washed out. Durant keeps his linebackers clean by keeping interior linemen busy at the line of scrimmage with a variety of moves that tend to overwhelm the bigger and slower opponents. Zane plays contain by getting low and absorbing power in the phone booth. He has a wide base that he plants in the grass as a run defender to clog rushing lanes. As a pass rusher, he wins with speed at a volume that is rare for anyone else at the position. He tested very well athletically at the combine.

Weaknesses: Zane’s measurables are lackluster. He has shorter arms, preventing him from consistently initiating contact in the phone booth. He also does not have the mass to absorb chip or combo blocks. He gets taken off his rush far too easy when his opponent receives any kind of help. He has trouble generating any kind of knockback in his rush due to his smaller stature.

Conclusion: Zane Durant is a smaller defensive tackle with plenty of movement to get off blocks and into the backfield. His lack of size creates setbacks for him in all areas of defense, but he has good technique and athleticism to limit the weaknesses in his game.

Best Team Fits: LAC, DET, CIN

Player Comparison: Osa Odighizuwa

Player Grade: Round 5 (58.5)