> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Zero to Hero: Inside Grey Zabel’s Journey From No-Star Recruit to Seahawks First-Round Pick - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/zero-hero-inside-grey-zabels-journey-from-no-star-recruit-seahawks-first-round-pick/ - Published: 2025-05-20T19:47:21.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:20:16.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Seahawks, Grey Zabel ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/revised-twitter-template--287-29-format-original-2.png) FARGO, N.D. - Emerging as the powerhouse program of the Division I FCS level, the North Dakota State Bison have enjoyed quite the dynasty since jumping up from Division II in 2004, capturing 10 national titles, including five consecutive championships from 2011 to 2015. With that unrivaled dominance winning 10 of the past 14 FCS titles, North Dakota State has become an unexpected hub for future NFL talent. Two quarterbacks - Carson Wentz and Trey Lance - were selected in the top five picks of the draft in 2016 and 2021 respectively, while receiver Christian Watson was selected by the Packers in the second round in 2022. But while an FCS school having two quarterbacks selected as top-five picks in a six-year span deserves recognition, where the program has truly excelled has been in the trenches, as they have developed one of the most impressive offensive line factories in all of college football under the direction of assistant Dan Larson. From his arrival in 2019 through 2024, the Bison had three linemen selected in the NFL draft and several others made it onto NFL rosters as free agents, including center Jalen Sundell earning a spot with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted rookie last season. That success reached new heights for Larson and North Dakota State last month as versatile blocker Grey Zabel became the first Bison lineman - and only the third player in program history - to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, reuniting with Sundell in the Pacific Northwest as the 16th overall pick for the Seahawks. Similar to Cordell Volson, Cody Mauch, and Dillon Radunz who came before him, the consensus All-American selection’s expeditious ascent up draft boards couldn’t have been foreshadowed coming out of T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre, South Dakota. Several years before he rocketed up draft boards, Zabel was barely on the recruiting radar while starring for the Governors, earning zero star status from 247 Sports. Standing 6-5 and weighing just 240 pounds, he didn’t look the part of a future Division I lineman, let alone a potential NFL prospect, and only three programs offered him scholarships: North Dakota State, South Dakota, and South Dakota State. But while the rest of the country outside of the Dakotas may have been sleeping on Zabel, Larson certainly wasn’t. Though he didn’t bookmark the youngster from Pierre as an NFL talent in waiting, he saw a prospect with immense potential due to his multi-sport background, leadership traits, blue-collar mentality, and competitive zeal, viewing him as a ball of clay that could be molded into the next great Bison lineman. “He was a winner, he was a proven leader. Then we just saw some of his natural athleticism when he was playing,” Larson explained on a recent episode of Locked On Seahawks. “We've always kind of had a little bit of a niche here at NDSU. We'll take some kids that are a little undersized in high school and we have a process, we believe in the process. And if they have the athleticism, they have the competitiveness, they have that physicality and nastiness to play, we don't worry too much about the size. We think that part is going to come on. So it was a lot of those things that we saw in Gray to start the recruiting process, and then certainly they came out the more you went through it and got to know him.” Quickly adding weight to his lean frame once he got on campus, with injuries striking up front during a COVID-impacted season, Zabel saw action for North Dakota State as a true freshman in 2020, logging 185 snaps at right guard and two at center. With those extended reps, he allowed just two quarterback pressures and no sacks in pass protection, holding his own playing against college competition for the first time. After a somewhat quiet sophomore year where he rotated into the lineup at both guard spots as a reserve, Zabel showed off his incredible versatility in 2022, seeing snaps at every offensive line spot except for right guard, including 378 snaps sliding out to right tackle for the first time. Finally a full-time starter in 2023, he played over 600 snaps at right tackle and over 200 snaps at left guard for the Bison, yielding just nine pressures and two sacks, putting him on the map as an NFL prospect for the first time. But even as NFL teams started to zero in on Zabel, the player’s mindset didn’t change, mirroring the program’s approach of not thinking about pro possibilities. He passed up on numerous opportunities to transfer to an FBS school that dangled significant NIL money incentives, remaining loyal to North Dakota State as one of just three schools to offer him out of high school. Wanting to see things through, he continued to attack improving his craft with the work ethic of a walk-on, taking every rep he could possibly take on the practice field and showcasing his ability to lead teammates by example. As Zabel’s senior season unfolded, months before his historic selection in Green Bay, it became clear to Larson that this particular prospect was on a different playing field than anyone else who had come through the program in his five seasons in Fargo. “I think the best part about Grey was he worked like he was going to be a guy not selected in the draft. Just had to keep proving himself every day,” Larson commented. “I think we all recognized how talented he was going to be… I think it was just the process that he went about, like his senior year especially, every practice, practice really hard, never passed up opportunities and reps, would jump in at any of the five spots in the offensive line, was a leader in every aspect of it. And so I don't know that we ever allowed ourselves to ever think that he was anything more than just a really good football player that played for North Dakota State. But I think all those intangibles that he had started coming out when this draft process started going and all of a sudden, you start talking to a few more scouts or some front offices, you're like, man, there's a real chance that this might be a little bit different than some of the other guys we had go through the draft process.” Saving his finest season for last, Zabel garnered All-American honors playing left tackle exclusively, allowing just seven pressures and a sack on 453 pass blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He also graded out as one of the best zone blocking tackles in the FCS division, earning himself an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl for the chance to show what he could do against the best of the best in Mobile. Just as he had done throughout his tenure with the Bison, Zabel gobbled up as many snaps and reps at the all-star showcase as he could. During one-on-one drills, opposing defenders kept calling him out, wanting to boost their own stock by beating the talented blocker. But very few managed to do that during the week, as he consistently dominated reps and eagerly took on every successive challenger, impressing scouts and coaches as he received the honor as Overall Practice Player of the Week from 32 polled executives. One month later, Zabel didn’t partake in all of the athletic testing at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, but he still wowed in the events that he did participate in. He led all offensive linemen with a 36 1/2-inch vertical jump and also performed well in the broad jump (111 inches), later adding excellent short shuttle (4.60) and 3-cone drill (7.66) times at his pro day workout, all but solidifying his standing as a first round selection heading into the draft. Set to slide back inside to left guard with the Seahawks, and wearing the No. 76 previously donned by Hall of Famer and team consultant Steve Hutchinson, Larson doesn’t anticipate Zabel will have any issues jumping into the lineup early. The stage won’t be too bright after winning multiple national titles at North Dakota State and dominating against Senior Bowl competition, and with elite athleticism that transfers to the field, underrated physicality and nastiness, and a top-tier work ethic developed growing up on the family farm, he has all the tools in place to find success early with his new team and become a foundational piece for an offensive line that desperately needs one in the interior. Transitioning into the role of proud salesman to an extent, Larson cited Zabel’s pro readiness as not only a testament to the relentless work he put in on and off the field, but as the latest example of how North Dakota State has excelled at coaching up under-the-radar offensive line prospects over the years, developing them with excellent technique both as pass protectors and run blockers while adding much needed mass and strength through the weight room and nutritional program. “When you watch him, his feet are really good and so he's hardly ever in a bad position with his body,” Larson remarked. “We teach our guys, we're trying to stay as square as possible in the run game. We try to stay as square as possible in the pass game. Teams are gonna have to run really good edges or they're gonna take really good angles in pass pro in order to beat us. Those parts he was really dialed in. I think the one thing that maybe people don't talk about as enough is he was a really good, dominant run blocker. He can get his hands \[into defenders\], his feet are just as active, his knees can drive. He's a strong player. He has lower body \[power\], upper body is really strong. I think some of the physicality that he's going to bring to the interior part of it, when he gets out to run and he's got an opportunity to put a shoulder pads under a guy's chin, I think people are going to be surprised at how good of a run blocker he can be from an inside standpoint.” Being a first rounder comes with lofty expectations, regardless of what school you come from, and Zabel will now have to live up to those expectations. Winning reps against another college senior is one thing and dealing with Leonard Williams or Jarran Reed on the practice field is another, so bumps in the road will undoubtedly be part of the growth process as he continues to fine tune his technique and work on getting stronger to handle NFL competition. But if his path from no-star recruit to the league demonstrates anything, Zabel won’t be putting any concern into where the Seahawks selected him and understands he has to earn himself a starting job and won’t be given one, approaching the next step in his journey with the same determination, grit, and attention to detail that transformed him into an NFL prospect to begin with. Assuming he remains on the same trajectory at the pro level, the organization should be quite excited about the impact he can make as the heartbeat of the offensive line for years to come.