As far as post-NFL career plans go, Zach Zenner is near the top of the list of "Guys Who Have Their S* Together".
Zenner deferred enrollment in medical school two years ago to pursue a career in football. Having achieved that goal -- he was a starting running back for a playoff team this year -- Zenner continues to keep his eye on a second career.
Zenner -- known as "Doc" by Lions teammates -- will spend part of his offseason as a student volunteer taking part in a research project at a Detroit hospital. Zenner did the same thing last spring, studying how fructose and salt impact hypertension levels in lab rats, according to the Detroit Free Press.
"I love the healthcare field," Zenner told the Freep. "I'm really interested in that, and no matter what profession you want to go into, these research experiences and publications are invaluable. It really speaks a lot to your resume to have a publication or lab experiences, shows the scientific process. You've been through it. There's a problem, how do you attack the problem? Communicating your results. The work it takes to get results, you have to -- just like everything else, it's work."
Zenner said his next research project will involve performing ultrasounds of rat arteries. Seems like a lot of rat stuff. It's cool there are smart people dedicated to rat stuff that allows our grandparents to live longer. Thanks Zach.