On Thursday, April 24 North Dakota State All-American offensive lineman Grey Zabel awaited his NFL Draft fate while spending time with friends and family in his hometown of Pierre, SD.
From farm fields to football fields, Grey Zabel's journey is just getting started 💪 pic.twitter.com/FUyA3KjCmi
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) April 24, 2025
The consensus around football was that at some point on Thursday evening Grey’s name would be mentioned by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as he would announce where the former Bison would be heading to begin his professional football career. The Draft began at 7 p.m. local central time with the Tennessee Titans selecting Miami QB Cam Ward with the first overall pick. Then at No. 2 the Browns traded their pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars who selected two-way phenom Travis Hunter (DB/WR). The first offensive lineman was on the board at No. 4 when the New England Patriots selected LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell.
Over the next couple of hours team-after-team would take somewhere between 5-10 minute apiece to make their first round selection… Then at pick no. 18 the Seattle Seahawks made a pick that would improve their offensive line and help the franchise protect newly signed franchise QB Sam Darnold. Commissioner Goodell came to the podium and said, “With the 18th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft… The Seattle Seahawks select… Grey Zabel, Guard, North Dakota State”.
Welcome to the League, Grey. pic.twitter.com/uW5GvIWqgo
— NDSU Football (@NDSUfootball) April 25, 2025
The selection of Zabel at No. 18 made him the highest drafted FCS offensive lineman all-time. Previously, the highest drafted FCS o-lineman was Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning who went No. 19 overall to the New Orleans Saints in 2022. Additionally, Zabel is the 13th Bison to be drafted since 2014 and third to be selected in the first round (Carson Wentz, No. 2 in 2016 + Trey Lance, No. 3 in 2021).
On top on being drafted on Thursday night, Zabel became the sixth straight Bison left tackle to be drafted into the NFL joining Billy Turner, Joe Haeg, Dillon Radunz, Cordell Volson, and Cody Mauch.
Zabel will report to rookie minicamp in early May.
