SZ #48

Shane Zylstra

Tight End · Minnesota State

Shane Zylstra rewrote the Minnesota State record book before carving out a five-year NFL career as a reserve tight end, most recently with Detroit.

Shane Zylstra is a Division II standout who turned a record-setting college career into a lasting NFL role. After going undrafted out of Minnesota State, he spent parts of five seasons on Detroit's roster before signing with a new team in 2026, bringing a blocking-first, reliable third-tight-end skill set with him.

★ Minnesota State career records: 227 catches, 4,297 receiving yards, 54 touchdown receptions

★ First-team FCS/Division II All-American, 2019

★ NSIC Offensive Player of the Year, 2017

Path to the league

Zylstra played five seasons at Minnesota State, a Division II program, redshirting his freshman year before becoming one of the most productive receivers in school history with 227 catches, 4,297 receiving yards, and 54 touchdown catches. He was named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 and a First-team All-American in 2019, then went undrafted in 2020.

Career highlights

After a brief stop with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021, Zylstra joined the Detroit Lions' practice squad that September and spent the bulk of his career in Detroit through 2025. He scored his first NFL touchdown on a one-yard catch from Jared Goff in November 2022 and later caught three touchdown passes in a single game against Carolina that December.

2025 season recap

Zylstra played out the 2025 season in Detroit as a depth tight end, contributing to a Lions offense in a limited role behind the team's top pass-catchers. He finishes his time with the Lions with career totals of 18 receptions for 136 yards and four touchdowns across his NFL tenure.