Seahawks pick NDST G Grey Zabel in first round

Seahawks pick Grey Zabel with 18th pick in NFL Draft

Big offensive lineman Grey Zabel is the newest name the 12s will be rooting for in Seattle, but now the Seahawks need to figure out the next nine names they'll call.

RENTON, Wash. - Maybe no fan base in the NFL wanted their team to draft an offensive lineman as badly as the Seattle Seahawks.

John Schneider and the Seahawks' front office obliged by selecting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel with the 18th overall pick.

"Exciting night. We were able to land our number one interior offensive lineman, Grey Zabel," Schneider said. "… Everybody loves this guy. He's just buttoned up, tough, smart, reliable, our kind of guy."

Zabel is a 6-foot-6, 312-pound lineman who was a consensus All-American at the FCS level with North Dakota State. He's played primarily at tackle in college, but projects to move inside at the NFL level. He played four positions across the line for the Bison, with 17 games at right tackle, 16 at left tackle, four at left guard, and three at right guard, according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic.

"I'm assuming it's going to be somewhere on the interior," Zabel said when asked where he'll play in a conference call with reporters. "I'm not sure yet, we'll have to wait until I get to Seattle and talk to the coaches. But wherever I play, whatever I do, I'm super excited to play for the Seahawks."

FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA - OCTOBER 29: Grey Zabel #74 of the North Dakota State Bison against the Illinois State Redbirds at FARGODOME on October 29, 2022 in Fargo, North Dakota. (Sean Arbaut / Getty Images)

"At the end of the day, you're an offensive lineman. You've got to block somebody, and you've got to protect the quarterback and move the line of scrimmage. So whatever position that is, that's where I want to go compete and play my best football, but I'm excited to do it wearing a Seahawks logo."

Zabel said he played a few snaps at center in college, and he turned heads at the Senior Bowl in February when he got a chance to play the spot in practices. Head coach Mike Macdonald said that Zabel will start out at guard with the Seahawks and they'll figure out the best fit for him from there.

"He's going to start at guard and work interior," Macdonald said. "But the cool thing about Grey (Zabel) is he can play all five spots. Hopefully we're not moving around much, he sticks at guard for a long time here. But he does have that versatility."

From Brugler's scouting report on Zabel…

Schneider acknowledged the offensive line issue at the team's pre-draft media availability earlier this week. Outside of veteran free agent depth addition Josh Jones, the Seahawks didn't address the offensive line in free agency. Teven Jenkins, Lucas Patrick and Dillon Radunz all visited the team, but elected to sign elsewhere.

Zabel now bolsters the group with a top-end draft option that likely opens the season as a starter for Seattle. He's the fifth offensive lineman to be selected by the Seahawks in the first round of the draft under Schneider, joining Russell Okung (No. 6, 2010), Charles Cross (No. 9, 2022), James Carpenter (No. 25, 2011) and Germain Ifedi (No. 31, 2016).

"This guy is a great pass protector, can hit his targets on the move. Very athletic, tough. Finishes blocks, which is one of my favorite things about him. In that way, he's going to fit in great," Macdonald said.

The Seahawks considered scenarios to move back in the draft that never seemed to come to fruition. Instead, Zabel was the clear choice when it came time to make a selection.

"We felt pretty good about if we did trade back that there was going to be a couple guys there that we'd be able to go to. But he was number one, so it was going to have to be a cool deal for us," Schneider said.

Zabel was the fifth lineman selected overall and the second guard behind Tyler Booker, who went to the Dallas Cowboys at pick 12. Eight linemen were selected in the first round altogether, making up 25 percent of the first round.

"We had our strategy meeting a couple nights ago," Schneider said. "(Our) pro scouts go through every team, rank like the top five needs. They talk about upcoming contracts. Basically, like if they're running the team, this is what they would do, right?

"I want to say, like, 80 percent of the top three needs by team was offensive linemen involved. I mean, it was even more eye-opening than I had thought throughout the process. Everybody's looking for them, right?"

Zabel worked out with Seahawks tackle Abe Lucas this offseason at the facility of Excel Sports Management in Irvine, Calif. Additionally, Seahawks center Jalen Sundell was a teammate of Zabel's at North Dakota State and called him "a mentor" during his time with the Bison.

"He’s an unbelievable football player," Zabel said. "To have a familiar face in the locker room and in the city, it’s going to be awesome. I’m going to lean on him heavily. He’s an unbelievable person, an unbelievable player. I’m super excited to be reunited with him."

Speaking to the close relationship between Zabel and Sundell, Zabel was able to name off the top of head the exact round and pick number that Sundell's sister, Serena, was selected by the Seattle Storm during the WNBA Draft last week.

"What an unbelievable family," Zabel said. "I got to know Serena a bit just through the years of her coming up to watch Jalen here and there. Super excited for that family to get both of their kids in the same city. Hopefully, I get to see that crew quite a bit here in the next few years."

Zabel is the highest drafted guard by the Seahawks since Steve Hutchinson was taken with the 17th overall pick in 2001, Hutchinson – now an advisor with the Seahawks – met with Zabel at the Senior Bowl and made a great impression on the newest Seahawk.

"Being able to connect with him was a surreal experience," Zabel said. "I remember after my interview with him down at the Senior Bowl, I immediately called my dad to tell him that. Super excited and hopefully I’ll have more conversations with him."

Zabel said he turned down six-figure offers from Power Five schools to transfer after last season. He even noted that North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek called him stupid for not taking one of those offers.

"But at the end of the day, I think it paid off pretty well," Zabel said.

Polasek, and offensive line coach Dylan Chmura were with Zabel at his house in Pierre, South Dakota when he was drafted on Thursday night. Zabel said they had plans to celebrate the rest of the evening before focusing on getting out to Seattle for the first time.

"I’m probably going to start diving into these Busch Lights," Zabel said. "We have the 12-hour rule. We get to celebrate it for 12 hours and then we get back to work. I’ve got an unbelievable crew here, my head coach, my offensive line coach. They’re all down here and a lot of friends and family. High alert for Pierre, South Dakota. We’re going to have some fun and we’re going to enjoy this tonight."

Former Seahawk Jim Zorn shares thoughts on NFL Draft first round

FOX 13 Seattle caught up with Seattle Seahawks legend Jim Zorn to hear his thoughts on Seattle's first-round selection of offensive lineman Grey Zabel, along with future-round picks.