NFL analyst names favorite Seattle Seahawks selection in 2025 NFL draft

The Seattle Seahawks set the tone for their 2025 NFL draft class by selecting North Dakota Sate offensive lineman Grey Zabel in the first round. It wasn't the sexiest first-round pick, but Zabel is the type of interior lineman this team desperately needed after ignoring the offensive line in free agency.

Zabel is one of the most versatile players in the 2025 draft class, playing all five positions along the offensive line during his college career. While some fans wanted to see the team add a wide receiver after trading away DK Metcalf, instead Seattle gave quarterback Sam Darnold an elite pass protector.

Pro Football Focus highlighted its favorite draft selection for each NFL team, praising Seattle for not overthinking Zabel in Round 1.

"The Seahawks didn’t overthink it with their first-round pick," wrote PFF's Trevor Sikkema. "They not only hit their biggest area of need, but they did so with a player who gives them starting-caliber flexibility as a guard or a center. Zabel earned a 90.4 PFF overall grade as a tackle at North Dakota State in 2024, and he was one of the highest-graded players at the Senior Bowl while playing on the interior."

Seattle has been in the headlines all offseason, starting with the trade of quarterback Geno Smith and eventual signing of Darnold. Quarterbacks and wide receivers win headlines, but football games are won and lost in the trenches.

To say the offensive line was an issue last season would be an understatement. The Seahawks ground game was abysmal in 2024, averaging 95.7 yards per game on the ground (28th in the NFL). Zabel earned a PFF run-blocking grade of 86.4 and pass-blocking grade of 93.1.

Even though Zabel played left tackle last season, he projects as a guard or center in Seattle.

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