2025 NFL Draft: Should Chiefs Consider North Dakota State OL?

North Dakota State’s Fargo campus is closer to the Canadian border than the closest NFL venue, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. That doesn’t mean the NFL ignores the Bison.

At the program’s March 27 pro day, 27 teams showed up for timing, testing and measurements on 13 draft-eligible prospects. One of those teams, the Chiefs, could be planning to tap into the NDSU pipeline of offensive linemen.

The program’s top prospect is 6-6, 312-pound Grey Zabel, who looks much like a young Andy Reid. Some teams consider Zabel a guard, some a tackle. The Chiefs need both.

Several mock drafts have the Chiefs targeting pure left tackles such as Ohio State’s Josh Simmons or Oregon’s Josh Conerly, but Zabel figures to provide more flexibility along the Chiefs’ offensive front. He also led offensive linemen at the scouting combine with in the vertical leap (36.5 inches), bench press (26 reps), and broad jump (9 3).

And the Chiefs could use a starter on a rookie contract, considering they have the NFL's highest-paid players at three positions, most in the NFL.

“Zabel is a five-position lineman who brings everything but elite arm length to the position,” wrote Pro Football Focus draft analyst Trevor Sikkema, who ranked Zabel as the fifth-best tackle in the class. “He is an easy projected starter at center or guard for primarily a zone blocking scheme, but he is well-rounded enough to be run-game versatile.”

Elite arm length has dominated the pre-draft narratives for some prospects, although respected voices like Sean McVay have downplayed that measurement as a significant factor as long as the prospect’s film grades well. Zabel’s film grades well.

So has the recent list of NFL starters produced by the North Dakota State program. Since 2014, the Bison have seen five offensive linemen drafted, and all five have proven dependable starters at the next level.

Tampa Bay took guard Cody Mauch in the second round of the 2023 draft. He’s started all 34 Buccaneers regular-season games since. Cordell Volson, the Bengals’ fourth-round selection in 2022, has started 48 games at guard in three years.

Dillon Radunz, Tennessee’s second-round choice in 2021, has found his groove and started 26 games over the last two years for the Titans – combined at tackle and guard. Joe Haeg played with Carson Wentz at NDSU, then joined the Colts in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. He started at tackle for Indianapolis over his first two NFL seasons.

After joining the Dolphins as a third-round selection in 2014, Billy Turner started 77 games at tackle and guard throughout his 10-year career.

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