The Seattle Seahawks failed to address their interior offensive line during free agency after losing Laken Tomlinson and failing to land multiple starting-caliber replacements leading up to the draft. The front office expressed interest in Will Fries, but it fell through because they wanted to bring him in for a visit and a physical. The Seahawks also hosted Teven Jenkins, Lucas Patrick, and Dillon Radunz, but all three landed elsewhere.
Also Read: Seattle Seahawks: Miss Out on Talented Offensive Lineman
The good news is that they finally addressed their biggest weakness very early in the draft.
The Seattle Seahawks selected an FCS star
The Seattle Seahawks selected North Dakota State’s versatile offensive lineman Grey Zabel 18th overall in the first round. Zabel has played all five offensive line positions at NDSU, most recently playing at left tackle, and has over 974 snaps at LT, 453 at LG, 17 at C, 222 at RG, and 1,064 at RT per PFF. Due to his relatively small 32-inch arms for an offensive tackle, he may have to switch to the interior and is projected as their starting left guard.
Grey Zabel had arguably his best year in 2024, performing well in pass protection and the run game. Zabel gave up seven pressures, four hurries, two QB hits, and one sack allowed while posting a 93.1 pass-blocking, an 86.4 run-blocking, and a 90.4 overall PFF grade in 15 starts. His efforts earned him a First-Team All-FCS selection.
He signed his rookie contract
According to Adam Schefter, the Seattle Seahawks have signed Grey Zabel to a rookie contract. As Schefter points out, the deal is for four years and is worth a fully guaranteed $18.471 million. Since he was a first-round pick, Zabel will have a fully guaranteed 5th-year option for the 2029 season, in which the Seahawks must decide by May 2028.
Seahawks signed their first-round pick Grey Zabel to his four-year, fully-guaranteed $18.471 million contract. pic.twitter.com/osB6DqgPjp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 12, 2025
Here’s Lance Zierlein’s scouting report on the FCS star
“Tough-guy profile on this prospect coming out of North Dakota State. Zabel has an NFL frame with room for additional mass and possesses a good starting point in terms of his play strength.
“He has to play with really quick hands and good feet in order to compensate for short arms that make sustaining blocks and controlling pass rushers more challenging. Teams might ask Zabel to snap during draft season in order to project positional flexibility.”
