Just mere months ago, former Pierre Governor and then NDSU Bison Grey Zabel was preparing for the 2025 NFL Draft. Zabel had put together quite the resume up to that point, he had dominated in his time at college, turned heads at the Senior Bowl and ultimately set himself up to be a first-round pick for someone in desperate need of a strong yet agile offensive lineman. Now, he has the chance to put the ultimate title on that resume, Super Bowl Champion. The crowd gathered at Larkspur Landing in Pierre, South Dakota for the NFL Draft party waited anxiously hoping to hear Zabel’s name called on the first night. 17 picks had come and gone, but at long last, with the 18th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected Grey Zabel. It all became real for the folks who knew the young man since he was in diapers. Zabel’s impact on his community was apparent as the hundreds in attendance roared, celebrated and snapped pictures of their former neighbor realizing he was heading to the big leagues. Seattle was in desperate need of interior help on the offensive line. With head coach Mike Macdonald changing the course of the Seahawks defense, they had the weapons on offense to do something great. Although, they needed someone great up front to protect their new quarterback Sam Darnold. The pick was a widely considered as a homerun. As mentioned earlier, Zabel had elevated himself as one of the top linemen in the draft thanks to his great work leading up to it. Zabel made an immediate impact on the team. You don’t often hear a lot of chatter about an offensive lineman, especially on an offense that also has one of the top receivers in the league in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Though Zabel was simply playing that well. Week in and week out it seemed someone on ESPN, NFL Network or elsewhere in the sports-talk atmosphere talked about how dominant the rookie in Seattle was playing. Zabel not only dominated at the point of attack, but was also great out in space blocking at the second level. Something that Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak demands out of his o-line. “If you’re gonna draft someone in the first round, you need that guy to start for you for 10 years. You’re looking to see if this guy is tough enough to hang around, and is he willing to do the work. We knew Grey was.”- Kubiak Zabel’s play his rookie year was strong enough to earn him two votes for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, a category lineman rarely get recognition in. As the Seattle offense continued to impose their will on defenses throughout the regular season and into the playoffs, Zabel continued to blossom. Which brings us to today. Zabel and his teammates are one win away from climbing to the top of the football mountain. In 2024, the Seahawks played well, winning 10 games, but they were missing something. There is no doubt that Zabel has been partially responsible for the team’s success this year. Zabel’s impact on the Seahawks can be related to the impact he has made on his hometown of Pierre. Throughout the last few days, it was nearly impossible to go anywhere without seeing the number 76. The local businesses have dedicated their street signs to Grey, the local sporting goods store’s shelves completely emptied out of Zabel jerseys, kids were even taking sharpie to t-shirt to form their own 76 “jersey”. Those weren’t exactly “game-official”, but truly a testimony to just how much people want to be a part of his journey. If the Seahawks can defeat the Patriots tonight, there is no doubt that one of the first few players to touch the famed Lombardi Trophy will be none other than Zabel himself. The game is slated to kick-off at 5:30 PM CT tonight on NBC. ...read more read less