Grey Zabel- 6 Things To Know About The Eagles Draft Prospect
There are 2 positions the Eagles love to draft most often, O-Line, and D-Line. Last week I wrote about 2 D-Linemen, Walter Nolen, and Shemar Stewart. This week, let’s look at an O-Linemen that could interest the Eagles at pick 32, or in the 2nd round if they trade back—the versatile Grey Zabel out of North Dakota State.
6 Things You Should Know About Grey Zabel
Great Numbers In Both Pass And Run Block Sets
Zabel has played in 44 games and 1,044 Pass Block Snaps over the last 3 seasons. In that same time, he has given up only 4 sacks, 6 QB Hits, and 26 pressures. But scouts think he is an even better run blocker. They note he plays with a nastiness in the run game that would certainly fit in on the Eagles line.
Played All 5 Positions
Over the last 3 seasons, Zabel has taken snaps at all 5 positions along the line. He spent this last season exclusively playing LT. But in 2023 he split time mostly between LG and RT, and in 2022 he split time between 4 spots.
His O-Line Coach At NDSU, Dan Larson. praises Zabel for putting in the work to be able to play everywhere.
“He’s a guy that’s worked really hard at understanding what goes on at every position. I think that’s things he’s watched upperclassmen do throughout the course of the year. Whatever spot we have to put him in, I wasn’t going to be too concerned about it.”
Many scouts doubt he has the arm length to stick at Tackle in the NFL. But regardless of where teams think he fits, that kind of versatility has clear value to NFL teams, and Zabel has played everywhere. We saw that kind of versatility come in handy for the Eagles when Landon Dickerson had to play a half at center last year, and Zabel would be another guy they could move around if need be.
Elite Athlete At OL
Zabel skipped many of the tests at the combine. But the ones he did take part in, he excelled at. His 36 1/2″ Vertical was not only the best result for Offensive Linemen at this combine, it was the 3rd highest for any Offensive Lineman since 2003.
Meanwhile, his 26 reps on the bench press were 9th among all OLs. He also earned an estimated Athleticism score of 89, the 2nd highest for any Offensive Lineman in this draft. And if you believe what scouts have to say, that athleticism shows on the field.
Between his on-field production and his athleticism score, his Next Gen Stats Score Breakdown was number 1 overall among OL.
Stayed Loyal TO NDSU Despite Better NIL Offers At Bigger Schools
The College landscape has changed a lot in the past few years. NIL has changed the game and has given players the chance to turn their talents into money before they ever make it to the pros. But that does make it harder for small schools like NDSU to keep high-level players like Grey Zabel. Yet he stuck around, despite getting offers for as much as 6 figures to go elsewhere. Why? He explained his decision to stay when asked by the media at the Combine.
“It was a hard decision, but at the end of the day, it was a super easy decision to decide to stay at North Dakota State and play my final year there because of the culture, the relationships you make, the locker room that you established and played with the past four years. You don’t want to leave those guys or leave that program, you want to stick where you started, stay home, and in the end, win the last game of the season.”
Quinyon Mitchell had a similar story last year. He had solid offers to transfer to a school like Alabama. Something that would not only have put more money in his pocket but likely improved his chances of going high in the draft. Both guys chose to stay at the Colleges that recruited them.
You can’t blame players who take the money. Any of us would leave our job if another company was willing to double, triple, or even quadruple our salary in some cases. But there is something admirable to seeing players like Q, and now Zabel, sticking it out where they started. It suggests maybe you will have an easier time retaining them 4 or 5 years down the road when they hit free agency.
Stood Out At The Senior Bowl
When a player comes from a smaller school, like NDSU is, it can be hard to judge him. He is not competing with a lot of the guys going at the top of the draft. But at the Senior Bowl, he got the chance to do just that, and Zabel did not disappoint. In fact, according to NFL Executives in attendance, he was the most impressive player there during Practice.
Brian Baldinger was one of the people who watched him at the Senior Bowl, and he sang Zabel’s praises later on NFL Network.
“The guy lined up at every position, he really wanted to show everybody he could play center, guard, or tackle, and nobody beat him. He was unbelievable at the Senior Bowl.”
He would not be the first O-Linemen to come out of NDSU. Cody Mauch has been a starting guard for the Bucs for 2 years now, and despite playing the 5th most snaps for a Guard last year, allowed just 2 sacks and committed only 2 penalties. So it would not be unusual for an NDSU O-Lineman to make it to the NFL
Zabel Is Used To Winning
Zabel has been winning championships all his life. While at Pierre T.F. Riggs for his High School Ball, he won 3 straight South Dakota Football High School Titles. NDSU won 2 MVF championships, and 2 FCS Championships. He has played more seasons where his team won the highest title they can win, than seasons where his team losses in the end.
Not winning in his sophomore or junior year of College started to weigh on him. The guy had been winning championships every year of his life. The last time he didn’t win he was a freshman in high school. And that was part of the reason he did return, because he knew he could win with NDSU. He described losing in those 2 years as an “emptiness that you want to fill immediately.”
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