2 weeks Ago By Jeff Kolpack
FARGO — The sting of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs semifinal loss in 2023 at the University of Montana was probably still lingering when Grey Zabel walked into Dan Larson’s office and made a proclamation that he was going to return for his senior year. The North Dakota State left tackle then gave his offensive line coach a set of goals. They were improving his hands from a technique standpoint, being a first team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference, first team All-American, beat South Dakota State, win an FCS national title and became a top four-round NFL draft pick.
Check, check, check, check, check and, in the next day or two, check. “He said ‘I want you to hold me to some really high standards,’ ” Larson said this week. Those high standards could be rewarded Thursday night in the first round of the NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Zabel has been projected by some top NFL Draft analysts to be a late first round pick. If not, he’s a sure-fire early second round selection, which is Friday night. Zabel will be the third offensive lineman to get drafted that Larson coached at NDSU before moving to offensive coordinator this spring.
Cordell Volson went in the 2022 fourth round to the Cincinnati Bengals and Cody Mauch was taken in the second round in 2023 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Moreover, guard Jake Kubas and tackle Jalen Sundell signed as NFL free agents and won jobs last fall with the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks, respectively. That’s quite a feat for any offensive line coach, much less one from an FCS school.
“I think they’ve all shown some variation of position flexibility,” Larson said. “There was always some multiplicity that the scouts could fall back on and look at along with all the others things that came along with them like the competitiveness, the toughness and those types of things.” Volson played guard and tackle at NDSU, including each position on both sides of the ball.
Mauch walked on to the Bison as a tight end from Hankinson, N.D., earned his wings as a right tackle and moved to left tackle his last two seasons.
Zabel started three games at right guard as a true freshman in the pandemic-delayed spring 2021 season. He played left guard and right tackle in 2022. The versatility was particularly evident in 2023 when he started the first three games at left guard before switching spots with Mason Miller and moving to right tackle.
He was NDSU’s left tackle last season, turning in a 93% grade in 752 repetitions, allowing just one quarterback sack. Zabel further turned heads at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis when he tied for the third-highest vertical jump by an offensive lineman in the history of the event with a leap of 36-1/2 inches. The adaptability took another level up when he was named the top practice player at the annual Senior Bowl all-star game at the end of January.
He took reps at guard, center and tackle. “From start to finish, Grey Zabel dominated the week,” ESPN NFL Draft analyst Field Yates wrote on social media. “He was outstanding in 1-on-1s at both guard spots and center.
” At NDSU’s Pro Day in March, Zabel did a few drills at guard and center. His agility drills were predictably impressive. What will be his best NFL position? “It doesn’t matter, I’m truly excited for him that he’s going to get an opportunity,” Larson said.
“I’m hoping he’ll have a great foundation organization to go and get started with.” Zabel will be at home with his family in Pierre, South Dakota, for the draft. Mason Miller, who was Zabel’s Bison book end at right tackle last season, is considered a late draft possibility or free agent signing.
Perhaps a story brewing within the NFL circles is former Bison quarterback Cam Miller, whose stock has been thrown around since his NDSU Pro Day..
