Zach Strief was selected by Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL draft out of Northwestern. The offensive lineman went on to start 94 games from 2006-2017, splitting time between guard and tackle.
After hanging up his cleats following the 2017 season, Strief initially transitioned to broadcasting, serving as a play-by-play announcer for Saints games. Four years later, Payton asked him to join New Orleans as an assistant coach.
