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

For more than a decade, the offensive line has been a glaring issue for the Seattle Seahawks.

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And after another particularly rough season in the trenches this past fall, there’s a level of urgency across the Pacific Northwest for Seattle to finally fix things up front.

That urgency was reflected in former NFL quarterback Brock Huard‘s annual Seahawks Draft Profile series on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. Of the 15 players he profiled, the top five were all offensive linemen.

Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. was No. 5 in Huard’s countdown, followed by Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 4 and Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson at No. 3. Huard then went back and forth between his top two players, but ultimately decided to put Alabama guard Tyler Booker at No. 2.

That left the No. 1 spot to a player many Seahawks fans have become quite familiar with over the past month or two: Ultra-versatile North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel.

Why did Huard go with Zabel over Booker? Ultimately, it came down to Zabel’s athleticism. That athleticism could make Zabel a prime fit for new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s zone-blocking scheme. And in Huard’s view, it gives Zabel a higher ceiling.

“He’s got a higher ceiling than Tyler Booker,” Huard said. “I think Tyler Booker is an alpha, I think he’s a leader, I think he checks those boxes. … But we want Pro Bowl players. And Grey Zabel has a higher opportunity to be a Pro Bowler than Tyler Booker does.”

‘All he did was dominate’

The 6-foot-6, 312-pound Zabel was a three-year starter at North Dakota State, where he helped the Bison win back-to-back FCS national championships in 2023 and 2024.

Along the way, Zabel demonstrated a unique level of versatility by playing all five O-line spots. He started 18 games at left tackle, 17 games at right tackle, four at left guard and three at right guard, according to Pro Football Focus. He also played snaps at center.

But it wasn’t until the past few months that his draft stock really began to surge.

It began with a standout performance at the Senior Bowl, where ESPN’s Field Yates said Zabel was the best player at the entire event. After playing at the FCS level, the Senior Bowl week gave Zabel a chance to prove that he could thrive against a higher level of competition.

“He was the best player I saw at the Senior Bowl that week,” Yates said on Brock and Salk last month. “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.”

Zabel then continued to impress at the NFL combine, where he showcased his athleticism with a 36.5-inch vertical jump – which was tied for the third-best vertical jump by an offensive lineman in combine history. He also did 26 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press, which was five more reps than Booker.

“You’ll find 32-inch arms on 6-6, 312,” Huard said, referencing Zabel’s arm length. “What you don’t find is a 37-inch vertical from a 6-6, 312-pound guy. You just don’t. That’s the kind of ankle flexion, the kind of knee bend, the kind of hip explosion, the kind of tools that other guys don’t have. And on top of it, you rep 225 26 times.

“It allows you to go to the Senior Bowl, which is where his stock went from good to great. … In a draft loaded with starters at D-tackle, all he did was dominate. All he did was become the best player at the Senior Bowl. And then goes to the combine and puts up those kind of numbers.”

‘A hand-and-glove fit’

In the meantime, Zabel steadily climbed various draft rankings.

Yates ranks Zabel as the top guard in this year’s class, ahead of Jackson and Booker. Kiper ranks Zabel as the second-best guard, behind only Booker. And fellow ESPN draft experts Matt Miller and Jordan Reid rank Zabel as the top center.

Zabel’s ability to play both guard and center aligns perfectly with the Seahawks’ biggest O-line needs. That could allow them to draft Zabel, see how their other young linemen develop and then plug in Zabel wherever he’s most needed.

And then there’s the scheme fit.

“He is a hand-and-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. … And this offense needs to be better from guard to guard. It just does.”

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah agreed. During a recent appearance on Brock and Salk, Jeremiah was asked who the Seahawks should draft in the first round if it comes down to Zabel or Booker.

“I would take Grey Zabel,” Jeremiah said. “I think he can do everything. I love Booker in gap scheme and just (his) power, firm pocket, intelligence, leadership. All that stuff, off the charts. I’m still a Booker fan. I love Booker. But to me, Grey Zabel can give you the majority of that stuff, as well as the ability to get out in space and do things (in the) second level and pull ’em and just give you the versatility.

“He’s got legit five-position flex. 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.”

In terms of value, Huard acknowledged the ideal scenario: Seattle trades down a few spots from No. 18, nets an additional draft pick and then grabs Zabel in the early to mid-20s. Most NFL Draft big boards rank Zabel in the No. 26-35 range, so there’s a thought that No. 18 might be a tad too early for the Seahawks to take him, at least from a pure value perspective.

But as Huard said, can Seattle really afford to risk Zabel slipping away – especially if some of the other top guards are off the board too?

“Have you earned the right to take that risk?” Huard said. “If there’s a run on guards – if Booker is gone, if Kelvin Banks is gone – are you willing to take that risk?”

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

Seattle Seahawks draft coverage

• Brock’s Seattle Seahawks Draft Profile: Bama’s ‘powerful’ guard
• Rost: 3 things to know about Seattle Seahawks heading into draft
• Brock Huard believes Seattle Seahawks will ‘move all over’ in draft
• Analyst: Why the Seattle Seahawks may not draft O-line in first round
• A full seven-round Seattle Seahawks mock draft – with three trades

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