Seahawks draft North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel at No. 18

The Seattle Seahawks didn’t wait to address their most glaring need.

After yet another year of issues in the trenches, the Seahawks selected North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel with the No. 18 overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

2025 Seattle Seahawks Draft Breakdown: A look at all 11 picks

The 6-foot-6, 312-pound Zabel was widely considered either the No. 1 or No. 2 interior offensive lineman in this year’s draft class. Following a standout career at FCS-level North Dakota State, his stock surged with a dominant performance at the Senior Bowl and then continued to rise with an impressive showing at the NFL combine.

Grey Zabel is headed to Seattle 🔥 pic.twitter.com/11XEoDWd7q

— ESPN (@espn) April 25, 2025

Zabel was frequently linked to the Seahawks in mock drafts. As a projected guard or center in the NFL, his positional versatility aligns with Seattle’s greatest positions of need along the O-line. And with an elite level of athleticism for a lineman, many believe he would be an excellent fit for new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s zone-blocking scheme.

Related: Brock’s Seahawks Draft Profile: Why Zabel is the No. 1 fit

Per Seahawks.com reporter John Boyle, Zabel is the highest-drafted guard by the Seahawks since they took Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson at No. 17 overall in 2001. Furthermore, Boyle also said Hutchinson helped evaluate Zabel and other O-linemen in the draft as a member of the Seahawks’ personnel department.

Zabel was a three-year starter at North Dakota State, where he helped the Bison win a pair of FCS national championships in 2021 and 2024. He showcased unique versatility at NDSU, playing all five O-line spots during his college career. According to Pro Football Focus, he started 18 games at left tackle, 17 games at right tackle, four at left guard and three at right guard, while also logging snaps at center.

Seahawks Draft Reaction: Brock and Bump on Grey Zabel

After playing at the FCS level, Zabel proved his ability to excel against higher-level competition during a standout performance at the Senior Bowl. Multiple NFL draft experts, including ESPN’s Field Yates and ESPN’s Jordan Reid, said he was the best player at the event regardless of position.

Zabel continued to open eyes at the NFL combine, where he led all offensive linemen with a 36.5-inch vertical jump – which was tied for the third-best vertical jump by an offensive lineman in combine history.

From farm fields to football fields, Grey Zabel's journey is just getting started 💪 pic.twitter.com/FUyA3KjCmi

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) April 24, 2025

Insiders on Grey Zabel

During an appearance on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk last month, Yates said Zabel would be a home-run pick for the Seahawks.

“He is a hand-in-glove fit for what they need to do along the offensive line and how they want to play,” Yates said. “Klint Kubiak, he needs these big offensive linemen that can really move. … He was the best player I saw at the Senior Bowl that week. He was fantastic. He just completely dominated in offensive line and defensive line one-on-ones. There was no guy too big, too small, too fast, too nothing for him.

“And this offense needs to be better from guard to guard. It just does.”

Grey all day. pic.twitter.com/k7bEtBy1iq

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 25, 2025

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah also heaped praise on Zabel during a recent appearance on Brock and Salk. Jeremiah pointed to Zabel’s versatility, which could allow the Seahawks to plug him at any of the three interior O-line spots – or perhaps even at tackle in a pinch.

“He’s got legit five-position flex,” Jeremiah said. “On an offensive line that’s had injury issues over the years, having a guy like that who you can kind of shuffle the deck around a little bit, I think he would be just a tremendous value for them.”

Seattle Seahawks 2025 NFL Draft picks

• Seahawks draft North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel at No. 18
• Seahawks trade up to draft South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori
• Seahawks draft Miami TE Elijah Arroyo at No. 50
• Seahawks draft Alabama QB Jalen Milroe at No. 92
• Seahawks draft Notre Dame DT Rylie Mills in fifth round
• Seahawks draft Colorado State WR Tory Horton in fifth round
• Seahawks draft Alabama tight end Robbie Ouzts, list him as fullback
• Seahawks draft Kansas OL Bryce Cabeldue in the sixth round
• Seattle Seahawks draft three in seveth round, including ex-Oregon State RB

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