With the rise of transfers in college football, it’s becoming more and more rare for NFL teams to find true impact players on FCS rosters. But this year’s draft class is the exception. With the power conference talent thinner, there are several FCS athletes who could rise on draft boards.
After a strong Senior Bowl week, North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel is rocketing up draft board. Our Grey Zabel scouting report looks at where he could fit in the NFL.
Grey Zabel Scouting Report
Size: 6’5 3/8″, 316 pounds; 77 5/8″ wingspan; 32 2/8″ arms; 9 3/8″ hand (Senior Bowl verified)
Key Stat: 29 pressures, four sacks allowed in 1,071 pass blocking snaps at all five OL positions
Projected Role: Starting Offensive Guard in pass-heavy scheme
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Strengths:
- One of the most versatile offensive linemen in the draft. Took snaps at all five offensive line positions, starting at least five games at each of LG, RT, and LT
- Strong base and consistent anchor allows him to stonewall bigger defensive linemen
- Above-average athleticism; can pull from multiple positions and climb to the second level as a run-blocker.
- Rare blend of quickness and power to handle both speed and power rushers.
- Competitive toughness: Finishes blocks, known “mean streak”
- High football I.Q. to understand multiple positions and identify blitzes and stunts
Areas of Concern:
- Borderline “positionless” prospect; solid prospect at both tackle and guard, lacks elite trait at either position
- Shorter-than-average arms, smaller-than-average hands
- Week-to-week competition questions
- Average run-blocking technique, often won with pure athleticism and power against smaller, less-athletic defenders
Ceiling: Top 10 Guard
Floor: Swing tackle/sixth offensive lineman
Grey Zabel NFL Draft Outlook
As a scout, projecting the impact of FCS offensive linemen is one of the most difficult tasks imaginable. You have to step back and decide whether a guy is dominating because he’s a genuine NFL talent or because he’s bigger and quicker than the competition.
Complicating matters is that Zabel is a better pass-protector than run-blocker but played in a run-heavy scheme at North Dakota State. The Bison often played bully ball, and Zabel had over 500 more run-blocking than pass-blocking snaps.
That being said, Zabel’s high-level versatility makes him a tantalizing mid-round offensive lineman. He didn’t simply play multiple positions in college, he thrived in multiple positions.
To put his experience in perspective, he has just 57 fewer snaps at right tackle than Texas’ Cameron Williams, who played every snap of his career there, and only 146 fewer snaps at left tackle than Josh Simmons, a two-year starter at Ohio State.
That’s in addition to his 675 career snaps at guard, just three fewer than Purdue’s Marcus Mbow and more than almost all of the tackles NFL teams want to move inside to guard.
And again, he didn’t just survive at those positions, he thrived.
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Zabel’s Senior Bowl performance has aided his draft stock as he’s been one of the more consistent offensive linemen of the bunch against a great defensive line group. Though he’s played both guard and tackle in practices, his arm length probably pushes him inside in the NFL.
That being said, he’s better inside not because he can’t play tackle, but because he has the anchor, footwork, and pass-protecting prowess to be a high-level offensive guard. He has the I.Q. to play in a diverse scheme and could be one of the better interior pass-protectors in the entire league.
Bottom Line: I want the team that drafts Zabel to have a plan. Because of his versatility, he’s going to get onto the field in Year 1, either as a starter, or as the first guy off the bench when someone gets hurt.
In an ideal world, his future team balances practicing him at multiple positions with letting him hone his craft at guard. By the end of his rookie season, he should be an entrenched starter at guard.
Draft Projection: Mid-to-late Day 2
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