STRENGTHS - SMU's Zach Line is a good athlete with a strong, thick build with good foot quickness and agility to consider for the position at the NFL level. He shows very good competitiveness as a runner, particularly between the tackles as he fights for extra yards and falls forward almost all the time. He has good instincts and will generally find the right cutback lane or hole to hit. Line is a good pass protector who will give up his body to make a play for his quarterback. He shows good hands with the ability to adjust to the ball in the air out of the backfield, especially on screen passes. Line is a durable, tough player who consistently plays a tough brand of football.
WEAKNESSES - Line has only average play speed and explosiveness with the ball in his hands, and he lacks the suddenness to take defenders miss on a regular basis. He is a move-the-chains type of runner in college and is not a player who will hit the home run. He lacks the speed to turn the corner and make long runs at the next level. While he gives a good effort in pass protection, he does miss and can lose in pass protection. Line is not going to gain a lot of yards after the catch as he lacks explosion. He has no return value for special teams, but he is a player who must make a mark on special teams
SUMMARY - Zach Line has put together a very nice career as a running back at SMU, but he has a tough road ahead of him if he wants to play in the NFL as a running back. He has a strong, thick build with limited growth potential to develop for the position at the NFL level. He is a good overall athlete with good foot quickness and lateral agility, but only average speed, explosiveness and elusiveness in his play. He lacks big-play potential for the position at the next level and is going to be a move the chains type of running back. As a tough player, he runs hard and physical as a between the tackles runner. However, he will need to be used in a tandem with another back that has better speed, quickness and explosiveness to make bigger plays for the offense. He is a bit of a one trick pony with very little athleticism to grow into more. He shows soft hands with the ability to adjust to the ball in the air on screen passes. He isn't exceptional in pass protection when trying to pick up a linebacker or defensive lineman in pass protection. Overall, he deserves late fifth or early sixth-round draft consideration by a team that is looking for a short-yardage or goal-line type of runner who will have to become a core special teams coverage player in order to stick on the roster past a year.