Seahawks Draft Reaction: Brock and Bump on Grey Zabel

Over the years, the Seattle Seahawks have had no shortage of surprise first-round picks under general manager John Schneider. When pundits and fans expect them to zig, they typically zagged.

Seahawks NFL Draft Tracker: Keep up on every pick and trade

The Seahawks also have become known for trading back from their first-round pick, doing so six times since Schneider took the helm in 2010. And as they were on the clock Thursday night, there were reports that they once again were looking to move back.

But in the end, they didn’t make a surprising pick. And they didn’t trade down.

Instead, they did what many experts had projected: they drafted North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel.

“Is this the biggest upset, that they went with the spot that everybody felt was the need and they actually drafted the need there?” co-host Bob Stelton said during Seattle Sports’ NFL Draft coverage on Thursday night.

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

In drafting the 6-foot-6, 312-pound Zabel, the Seahawks didn’t wait to address their glaring need along the interior offensive line.

Zabel, widely considered either the No. 1 or No. 2 interior offensive lineman in this year’s draft class, was frequently linked to the Seahawks in mock drafts.

Grey all day. pic.twitter.com/k7bEtBy1iq

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 25, 2025

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.

When the pick was made, co-host and former NFL quarterback Brock Huard let out a celebratory scream.

“I felt that from Granite Falls to Sultan to Pasco,” Huard said. “Get a guard. Get a center. Get a difference-maker. And they got him.”

"Get a difference maker – and they GOT HIM." 💪

The @SeattleSports NFL Draft show reacts to the #Seahawks selecting Grey Zabel w/ the No. 18 pick.

📲 https://t.co/maHBzOxo7v
📺 https://t.co/U9GwneeQnA
▶️ https://t.co/xSreXtynje https://t.co/HqadZPceIR pic.twitter.com/nzevuz7RSD

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) April 25, 2025

Huard expects Zabel to be a Week 1 starter at guard for Seattle.

“When this guy runs, he’s gonna look different than (Seahawks guards) Sataoa Laumea, Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes,” Huard said. “I like those guys. And one of the three may be the other guard. But this guy is your starting guard.”

Best player available?

Schneider has often discussed how it’s important to draft the best player available instead of chasing needs.

With that being Schneider’s long-held philosophy, former NFL wide receiver and Seahawks Radio Network analyst Michael Bumpus thinks Zabel was indeed the best remaining player on Seattle’s board at No. 18.

“You hear John talk over the years (about how) we got in trouble because we were picking for need and not actually their best guy,” Bumpus said. “So what this tells me is that they had Zabel evaluated as the best guy on the board, (so) let’s go for him.”

“And Zabel can move. You watch him at the Senior Bowl, you watch him at North Dakota State, he’s great out in space in the screens. He’s gonna be good moving defensive linemen in that wide zone.”

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

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) April 24, 2025

Huard believes drafting Zabel became more likely after four offensive linemen went in the top 12 picks: LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell at No. 4, Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou at No. 7, Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 9 and Alabama guard Tyler Booker at No. 12.

That didn’t leave many other top-tier offensive line options besides Zabel.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranked Zabel as the No. 26 overall prospect in this year’s draft class. By pick No. 18, Jeremiah’s next-highest remaining guards were Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson at No. 41 and Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea at No. 47. Jeremiah’s next-highest remaining tackles were Ohio State’s Josh Simmons at No. 37 and Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. at No. 39.

Jackson, Conerly and Simmons each ended up going later in the first round after Seattle took Zabel. In all, eight of the 32 first-round picks were offensive linemen.

“By pick 12, there’s not much left,” Huard said of the top-tier O-line options. “… If you lose Zabel and you lose Donovan Jackson, there’s a big drop. And that I say pretty confidently talking to some of the bigger evaluators.”

In the end, Seattle took a big step toward addressing its decade-long problems along the offensive line. And no doubt, after spending years clamoring for better O-line play, it will be a popular move for Seahawks fans all across the Pacific Northwest.

“I think it appeases everybody,” Bumpus said. “It appeases the fans. You’ve got Brock over here turning bright red. Everyone’s happy here.”

Seattle Seahawks and the NFL Draft

• Steilacoom’s Emeka Egbuka taken in 1st round of NFL Draft
• NFL Draft: Former WSU QB Cam Ward is the No. 1 pick
• A look at the local prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft
• Three big picture questions as Seattle Seahawks embark on pivotal draft
• Lefko: What Seattle Seahawks’ early picks will tell us about their future

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