Seahawks named best fit for Round 1 OL in NFL Draft

The Seattle Seahawks are in need of fortifying their offensive line early in the 2025 NFL Draft later this month.

CBS Sports writer Ryan McGrady believes that the Seahawks can fill that need by taking North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel with the No. 18 overall pick.

North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"Seattle needs to both upgrade and stabilize its offensive line more than anything, and Grey Zabel out of North Dakota State would be a great fit if he's available at the 18th pick. Zabel is big enough (6-foot-6, 312 pounds) and athletic enough to play either guard or tackle and showed his versatility in college having started 40 games at four different positions. He's a great fit as Seattle's guards ranked last in the NFL in pressures and pressure rate allowed last year," McGrady writes.

"Over the last two seasons, Zabel started 31 games, 16 at left tackle for North Dakota State's 2024 FCS National Championship team, 12 at right tackle and three at left guard in 2023. He allowed a quarterback pressure percentage of just 1.7% over that span. His athleticism was on display at the NFL combine during which he had the third-best vertical jump by an offensive lineman in combine history at 36.5 inches.

"After a strong week at the Senior Bowl and his performance at the combine, Zabel has climbed up to second in CBS Sports' interior offensive lineman rankings. Plugging in someone with Zabel's size, athleticism and consistency in the middle of the offensive line would not only help protect Darnold, but could jump start Seattle's zone-running scheme with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak."

The Seahawks could plug Zabel right into the starting lineup without much hesitation and they can fill one of the biggest needs on their roster without having to do much else.

Zabel is the kind of player who could be a staple at his position for a long time, and that would allow the Seahawks to take risks on other players later on in the draft.

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