Seahawks select guard Grey Zabel at pick No. 18 overall
Seahawks select guard Grey Zabel at pick No. 18 overall
With the No. 18 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected the versatile guard/center Grey Zabel from North Dakota State. Hardly the most surprising pick, as many mock drafts - including three on Wednesday - had the Seahawks selecting Zabel.
ESPN's Matt Miller went as far as to suggest Seattle's decision in the first round came down to either Grey Zabel or Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan. With McMillan going No. 8 overall to the Carolina Panthers, it left only Zabel for the Seahawks. Given how crucial it is for Seattle to improve their interior offensive line, selecting Grey Zabel (one of the top prospects in this draft) was a move the 12th Man can rejoice with.
Zabel won two FCS National Championships with the Bison and declined lofty NIL offers to leave Fargo. Instead, he remained with NDSU. Now, he is headed from the great plains to the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle was reportedly interested in trading down, which is something they are prone to do. Clearly, they did not get an offer they were looking for. Not one to convince them to move off selecting Zabel.
We at Seahawks Wire will continue to update for any further action Seattle may take during the rest of the first round. As of this moment, they are not slated to make any more picks.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Seahawks DT Byron Murphy II tabbed for breakout season
Seahawks DT Byron Murphy II tabbed for breakout season The Seattle Seahawks are expecting a developmental step forward from sophomore defensive tackle Byron Murphy II this year. Murphy looked effective when healthy, but an injury derailed a sizable portion of his rookie campaign. The No. 16 overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft is now entering a big second season. Pro Football Focus recently compiled a 2025 NFL All-Breakout Team. They selected one player at each position. Murphy was their choice at defensive tackle. "Many thought that Mike Macdonald had found his white whale out west when the Seahawks drafted Murphy 16th overall in 2024," Bradley Locker wrote. "After one year, that hasn't looked like the case, but it isn't time to panic yet. In Year 1, the former Texas star earned just a 57.8 overall PFF grade with a 64.5 PFF pass-rushing grade. Murphy also played only 457 snaps in 14 games, ceding time to Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed — each of whom returns to the team in 2025." A deeper dive into the analytics reveals Murphy was more effective than meets the eye. "There are still a bevy of reasons to get excited about Murphy, including his 70.0 PFF pass-rushing grade on true pass sets, 10% pass-rush win rate and 76th percentile run stop rate," Locker continued. "Macdonald helped Nnamdi Madubuike break out in earnest during the 2023 season, which was Macdonald's second in Baltimore. Perhaps Murphy will follow a similar arc and become a true disruptor along Seattle's interior in his second season." Murphy flashed pass-rushing upside in spurts as a rookie. A healthy, more mature sophomore version should be an effective defender in 2025. Mike Macdonald and his defensive staff will attempt to continue developing Murphy this season.
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Eagles biggest reason for optimism shouldn't come as a surprise
Eagles biggest reason for optimism shouldn't come as a surprise PFF reveals the Eagles' biggest reason for optimism, and it shouldn't catch anyone off guard. For just the fifth time in their 93-year history, the Philadelphia Eagles will enter the regular season as the defending champions. Three titles preceded the 1966 NFL/AFL merger (1948, 1949, 1960). They've added two Vince Lombardi Trophies to the shelf after winning Super Bowl 52 and 59. These young Birds fans certainly haven't gotten spoiled, haven't they? Most don't know the anguish of enduring Leonard Tose. They don't remember Bryce Paup shredding Randall Cunningham's knee. Three consecutive NFC Championship Games are foreign, and so is a depressing Fog Bowl. Young Eagles fans never had to endure seeing Reggie White leave, and you know what? The older guard ought to be thankful that they didn't. It would be cruel to wish that type of pain on anyone. This is one of the best eras of football this organization has seen, and there's still reason for more optimism. Pro Football Focus would undoubtedly agree with that last point. They recently offered a refreshing take, 'One reason for optimism for every team ahead of the 2025 NFL season'. As we know, Philadelphia has several, but it's hard to argue with the answer that PFF provided. How about a round of applause for the Eagles' loaded roster? There's plenty of content to wade through following Eagles OTAs and their single-day minicamp. Thank Dalton Wasserman for providing a nice distraction as we take a break before training camp begins in July. Philadelphia tacked an extension on the end of Saquon Barkley's current deal. Most of their young roster is locked up for the foreseeable future. They have young stars on an excellent defense. All are great reasons why Wasserman lists a 'stacked roster's return as cause for Birds fans to rest easy and smile broadly. Here's his explanation. "Philadelphia ran roughshod through the NFL last season en route to its second Super Bowl victory. This year's edition of the Eagles is poised to defend their title, returning 20 of their 25 players who led the team in snaps last season. Their defense, which paced the NFL in PFF grade last season, took most of the damage but returns stars such as Jalen Carter, Zack Baun, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean. The Eagles boast the best roster in the NFL heading into this season." This isn't the first time we've heard praise heaped on the Eagles' talent. The kudos are well deserved. Let's do some brief inventory. Their quarterback is the reigning Super Bowl MVP, and despite losing his first appearance in the big game, he has outplayed Patrick Mahomes on the big stage twice. Barkley is the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Philadelphia has the game's best one-two punch at wide receiver. They're also home to the game's best offensive line and a defense that is young and hungry, one led by one of the game's top defensive minds. Their owner is phenomenal. Howie Roseman is the best in the business. The fan support is otherworldly. One can certainly do a lot worse than being an Eagles fan. This season, Philadelphia tackles one of pro football's most demanding and challenging schedules, but they are armed well enough to handle the task of what will be a gauntlet. They return six Pro Bowlers (they should have had more). They return six All-Pros. Make no mistake. They'll be up to the challenge.
USA Today
39 minutes ago
- USA Today
Drake Maye makes strong statement on Patriots new CB duo
Drake Maye makes strong statement on Patriots new CB duo Drake Maye has already seen enough to believe the New England Patriots have one of the best cornerback duos in the league with Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III. The second-year quarterback spoke with media members after a practice earlier in the week and showered heavy praise on the new-look defensive backfield for the Patriots. "Anytime you go against a great defense. They've got good players. Two great corners. I tell Gonzo everyday, 'Imma test him.' I'm not gonna not throw at him or CD, two of the, I think, the best corners or one of the best duos in the league," said Maye. Gonzalez earned his first All-Pro nod in only his second NFL season last year. Meanwhile, Davis is a solid veteran defensive back and former Super Bowl champion. He recorded 56 tackles, 11 pass deflections and two interceptions with the Detroit Lions last season. Together, Gonzalez and Davis are a formidable duo who could end up ranking among the best in the league. It should make a major difference for a Patriots defense that looks much-improved in 2025. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
