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Seahawks Newest Offensive Lineman: 'Hutch Loves Him. Everybody Loves This Guy.'

Hall of Famer and Seahawks Legend Steve Hutchinson met with Grey Zabel a couple of times before he was drafted No. 18 overall Thursday night, which helped Zabel find a home in Seattle.

Apr 24, 2025 at 11:13 PM

Ari Horton

Seahawks.com Writer

On the first night of the NFL Draft, the Seahawks took Grey Zabel, the guard out of North Dakota State. And when Seattle decided to take him at No. 18 overall, that was the highest the team has selected an interior offensive lineman since they drafted Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson No. 17 overall in 2001.

Coincidentally enough, when Zabel was in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl, he got the chance to have an interview with Hutchinson, which Zabel said was an "honor".

"Yep. I got the privilege to do an interview with Steve Hutchinson down in Mobile, Alabama," Zabel said. "And what an honor it was to be able to talk to him kind of through that process. It was super cool to experience that. I interviewed with them at the Combine and I knew that this was maybe a possibility and I was kind of just holding my breath until pick 18."

Hutchinson played for the Seahawks from 2001-2005 and ended his career as a seven-time Pro Bowler, five-time All Pro and was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And now the Hall of Famer works for the Seahawks in the personnel department.

"Steve [Hutchinson] was just an unbelievable football player," Zabel said.

Even though Zabel was barely 10 years old when Hutchinson finished his career, Zabel still admired the way Hutchinson played.

"The mentality that he played with was off the charts. He's an unbelievable person. Super connected with offensive linemen and their understanding and passion for the game of football," he said.

Now, Zabel will have the opportunity to play for the same organization that Hutchinson got his NFL start.

"Being able to connect with him was a surreal experience," Zabel said. "I remember after my interview with him down at the Senior Bowl, I immediately called my dad to tell him that. Super excited and hopefully I'll have more conversations with him."

Zabel's time at the Senior Bowl and his interview with Hutchinson left a mark on the Seahawks, so much so that he was Seattle's top rated interior offensive lineman.

"He's just buttoned up, tough, smart, reliable, our kind of guy," general manager and president of football operations John Schneider said. "Really our first exposure was at the Senior Bowl when he had a great week down there. We felt like 18 to where we were, it was like a sweet spot for the interior offensive line."

Schneider added, "Everybody just did a great job with the interviews and Zoom process with him, too. All the interviews, he just exudes this really cool, like, confidence, toughness. Like I said, smart, tough, reliable guy. 35 starts, yeah. They play good ball, man. That's a really good program."

Schneider was also part of the personnel that brought in Hutchinson, "I was able to be part of that with coach [Mike] Holmgren, Ted [Thompson], Scot [McCloughan], that crew."

And as a way to get everyone involved, the first person to let Zabel know that he was going to be a Seattle Seahawk was senior college scouting coordinator and area scout Kirk Parrish.

"Yeah, thanks. Kirk Parrish and Trent [Kirchner] went in there. Kirk was fired up, got to call him. Kirk was here when we drafted Hutch. He's a super passionate scout. Like, if people disagree on a player, he still has that old school kind of like he bows up a little bit. It was pretty cool to be able to take one of his guys."

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North Dakota State linemen Grey Zabel (74) and South Dakota Mi"Quise Grace (90) engage each other during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Vermillion, S.D. (AP Photo/Josh Jurgens)

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North Dakota State linemen Grey Zabel (74) backs into pass protection against a South Dakota defender during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Vermillion, S.D. (AP Photo/Josh Jurgens)

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North Dakota State linemen Grey Zabel (74) lines up against a South Dakota defender during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Vermillion, S.D. (AP Photo/Josh Jurgens)

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North Dakota State linemen Grey Zabel (74) sits back waiting for South Dakota defenders to rush during the PAT attempt during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Vermillion, S.D. (AP Photo/Josh Jurgens)

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North Dakota State linemen Griffin Empey (62) and Grey Zabel (74) wait for center Trent Fraley (63) to hike the ball during the second half of an NCAA college football game against South Dakota, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Vermillion, S.D. (AP Photo/Josh Jurgens)

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National team offensive lineman Grey Zabel of North Dakota State (77) runs through drills during practice for the Senior Bowl NCAA college football game, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Butch Dill/2025 Associated Press

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Butch Dill/2025 Associated Press

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National team offensive lineman Grey Zabel (77), of North Dakota State, during the first half of the Senior Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Butch Dill/2025 Associated Press

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North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel (OL50) poses for a portrait at the NFL football Combine on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in Indianapolis. (AJ Mast/AP Content Services for the NFL)

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North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

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North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

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North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

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North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel lifts weights at the NFL football scouting combine Monday, March 3, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

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North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel greets tight end Joe Stoffel during the school's NFL football pro day, Thursday, March, 27, 2025, in Fargo, N.D. (AP Photo/Russell Hons)