The Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line looks wildly unfamiliar after three weeks of the 2025 season. Last year, the unit didn’t open up enough rushing lanes and allowed too much pressure on the quarterback. This year, so far, has been a completely different story.
Credit for the improvements certainly goes to the decision makers at the top, whether it be general manager John Schnieder, head coach Mike Macdonald, or offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Finding the right players for the right scheme is no easy task, but clearly, their efforts are reaping huge benefits for the franchise.
One move is standing above the rest, though. It was a huge gamble to take an FCS lineman with the 18th overall pick, change his position, and hope that he would thrive. Despite whatever odds may exist from such decisions, Grey Zabel is thriving as a rookie in Seattle and then some.
Seattle Seahawks fans are seeing Grey Zabel shatter expectations as a first-round pick
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, as highlighted by Seahawks reporter Brian Nemhauser, Grey Zabel, through the first three weeks, was the only offensive lineman in the NFL with at least 25 pass blocking snaps who had yet to allow a single pressure. Conversely, he is also fourth in run blocking win rate, according to ESPN.
It’s not a surprise that Zabel has hit the ground running for anyone who was paying attention during the preseason. It’s not the easiest thing for guards to stand out, but Zabel’s play has been loud since he first put on a Seahawks uniform.
Since then, he’s displayed the skills and produced the results that should have Seahawks fans confident that he’s the kind of player that can stick around for a long time.
“It doesn’t feel like he’s a rookie,” Macdonald said of Zabel after the Seahawks' win over the Saints. “I guess that’s probably the biggest compliment I could give him.”
Zabel isn’t the only rookie thriving this season, but being a first-round pick holds such high expectations, and his shattering those expectations is the most welcome outcome Seahawks fans could have hoped for.
Of course, it’s only been four weeks of play, and Seattle still needs to see more out of its rushing attack, which currently ranks 21st in yards and 29th in yards per attempt. Zabel has many more obstacles in his path as his first NFL season unfolds, and he will make mistakes. But he's already ahead of where many might have thought he would be.