Undrafted Rookie RB Zach Zenner Making a Name for Himself with Detroit Lions

Heading into training camp, talk of the Detroit backfield centered on how carries would be split between starter Joique Bell and rookie Ameer Abdullah.

Then, as Bell continued to languish on the sideline thanks to a pair of offseason surgeries while Abdullah shined, that talk shifted to whether Bell would even be the starter this season.

Now, however, the talk has shifted again, to the most unlikely of subjects.

Zenner-mania has hit Motown.

Zach Zenner, an undrafted rookie from South Dakota State who deferred enrollment in medical school to pursue an unlikely NFL career, entered Thursday's preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars as the Lions' leader in rushing yardage.

Yes, it was only 77 yards, and it wasn't exactly against J.J. Watt. But still—it's like the plot of a not-yet-made movie starring Mark Wahlberg.

Oh wait, they already made that.

Another, even bigger chapter was written in the story against Jacksonville. All Zenner did (on a night when no other running back for the Lions could get 20 yards) was pick up 85 yards and a touchdown on eight carries and the adoration of at least one long-time Lions beat reporter:

It wasn't just the impressive numbers. It was the way Zenner did it.

Want quickness and the ability to break a long run? How about this 41-yard scamper:

Hard running? Here's another long one—this time 21 yards:

Zenner's touchdown, on the other hand, was all about power and moving the pile.

Yes, the numbers come with asterisks: against reserves in preseason games. But as Rotoworld's Evan Silva pointed out, Zenner's total body of work looks pretty good regardless of how many dots you line up next to him.

it's also worth noting, as yet another Lions beat writer did, that Zenner's collegiate production was impressive. And then some.

If, that is, you think that gaining 2,000 yards in a season is a big deal.

Oh, Zenner did it three times.

What did you think the first 20 minutes of that Mark Wahlberg movie were going to be about. Giant robots?

Now, all this isn't to say that Zenner is going to suddenly challenge Abdullah and Bell for regular-season playing time.

But it wasn't that long ago that Zenner was considered a long shot to make the team. Actually, he wasn't considered at all.

Now? Oh, he's being considered, all right—for one of the best, unlikeliest storylines of the 2015 NFL preseason.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter at @IDPSharks.