With the 18th pick in the NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected NDSU offensive lineman Grey Zabel last Thursday.
Zabel was the first FCS player drafted this year and the third NDSU player drafted in the first round over the past 10 years. Quarterbacks Trey Lance and Carson Wentz were the other two.
The Pierre, South Dakota native became the 8th South Dakotan to be picked in the first round, and the first since 2012 when the Detroit Lions drafted offensive tackle Riley Reiff 23rd overall.
“Growing up, working at the farm, and kind of understanding that farming and football have a lot in common,” Zabel said on a conference call from his hometown of Pierre, South Dakota. “You plant seed in the dirt in the spring and tend to it and try to get it as much as you can to grow a great crop in the fall, and football is the same exact way. You work all offseason to get your body strong, healthy, and then you go reap the benefits in the fall. Those three things are kind of what describes me, and I hold them pretty close to my heart.”
Zabel played every position on the offensive line during his time at NDSU but was an FCS All-American left tackle this past season for the FCS National Champions.
After the 2023 season at NDSU, Zabel said he had multiple six-figure NIL offers to play for FBS schools. He stayed loyal to NDSU to play with his younger brother, Jett, who is a tight end for the Bison.
“I’m a firm believer with North Dakota State can take you anywhere you want to go,” Zabel said. “I’m true to that word, I think it’s really powerful. In this day and age with guys kind of transferring out or getting bought by NIL, it shows something that if you stay true to who you are and who believes in you and who poured into you, you’re going to reap the benefits.”
Passing up large NIL offers is a rare occurrence in college sports today.
“They were up there,” Zabel said. “There were some offers that kind of made me scratch my head. My head coach always calls me stupid for not taking the money, but at the end of the day, I think it paid off pretty well.”
Zabel is an athletic freak who will most likely play guard in Seattle. The 6’6”, 312-pounder posted the third-best vertical jump by an offensive lineman in combine history.
He was also a three-sport athlete in high school, playing football, baseball, and basketball. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Zabel threw in the low-90s as a left-handed pitcher in high school.
Zabel’s showing at the Senior Bowl was also a huge reason for his first-round status. Zabel dominated in one-on-one drills that became big-time highlights from the Senior Bowl practices.
“It was just competition in its truest form, and that mattered at the Senior Bowl,” Zabel said. “It’s one of those deals where my three pillars that I talk about are compete, improve, and tough. And if somebody wants to go up against me, you have to go up and compete, and you have to improve every single rep and you have to be tough. I think [the NDSU coaching staff] kind of instilled that in me throughout my college career, really helped me down in Mobile.”
Before flying to Seattle, Zabel celebrated with family, friends, and coaches on draft night in Pierre.
“I’m probably going to start diving into these Busch Lights and celebrate,” Zabel said. “We have the 12-hour rule. We get to celebrate it for 12 hours, and then we get back to work. I’ve got an unbelievable crew here: my head coach, my offensive line coach. They’re all down here, and a lot of friends and family. High alert for Pierre, South Dakota; we’re going to have some fun and we’re going to enjoy this tonight.”
Elijah Andrews is the Dakota Student Sports Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].
