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The Seattle Seahawks strengthened their offensive line on Thursday by selecting Gray Zabel in the first round of the draft.
The former standout of the state of Northern Dakota will soon be responsible for protecting the quarter-Arrière from the first-year Seahawks Sam Darnold.
But while attention goes to the future of Zabel, his interaction spent with President Donald Trump also returns to orientation.
Zabel and his Northern Dakota teammates visited Washington, DC, on April 9 to celebrate the last national FCS championship in Division I of the football team of the football team.
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The offensive line player at the Northern Dakota State University, Gray Zabel, answers questions at a press conference during the NFL 2025 combination at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis on March 1, 2025. (Jacob Musselman / Imagn images)
Before going to the White House, some delegates and a special guest, Senator Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Made some comments. Some bison football players then thought about their race race.
Once they reached 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., President Trump finally met the football team in the East Room. Trump addressed the players of the state of Dakota in the North and posed for photos. At one point in interaction, Zabel’s teammates underlined it.
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“Who is the best player? Let’s see, who do they point?” Trump asked. “The biggest guy? Come here.”
Zabel then approached the president and shook his hand.
“Is it so good?” Trump asked. “Wow. My boy is a great suction cup huh?”
Trump then asked what position Zabel had played, and the 305 pound line player replied: “offensive line”.
The Northern Dakota football team also visited the White House during Trump’s first term.
President Donald Trump receives a football jersey with his name on this subject of the Easton Stick quarter while welcoming the champions of division I of the 2018 Division I, the Bison of State of the North Dakota, in the Diplomatic House of the White House on March 4, 2019, in Washington, DC, DC, (Oliver Contreras / Pool / Getty Images)
Zabel started 41 games in five seasons at each position on the offensive line except center. He was an All-American from the FCS in the left tackle as a senior last season.
The 23 -year -old started the last 36 games of his collegial career and figures to be placed inside the Seahawks line, which needs help. Zabel could quickly replace Seattle’s left guard last season, Laken Tomlinson, who is now a member of Houston’s Texans.
The offensive line player in the state of Dakota North Gray Zabel during the NFL 2025 scout combination at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on March 2, 2025. (Images Kirby Lee / Imagn)
The Seahawks are optimistic that Zabel can be part of the solution for an offensive line which fought powerfully in 2024. Last season, the Seahawks returned 54 bags, equal to the NFL. The Seahawks, which went 10-7 last season and won the NFC West, led the vast majority of their games in the hunting rifle.
The versatile Zabel could stop at one of the five positions of the starting offensive line, but coach Mike Macdonald said he would start.
“I hope we find a house for him in a position, and he lives there for a very long time,” said Macdonald. “But I think it just talks about your know-how. It is not easy to find these guys who can play inside and in the tackle. So he’s one of them, and he is ours now.”
