AN NFL first-round pick could’ve had two very different lives.
A player taken in the first round of last month’s 2025 NFL Draft could’ve been an MLB star or another shock occupation, and that’s being a farmer.
3
3
The Seattle Seahawks were on the clock with the No. 18 overall pick in the NFL Draft and could’ve gone in numerous directions.
They elected to draft North Dakota State University product offensive lineman Grey Zabel to support new quarterback Sam Darnold.
But Zabel could’ve gone down two different routes in life before making his final decision to look to become an NFL player.
Zabel has always possessed athleticism for his 6-foot-6 frame, and the trait goes back to his high school days as a three-sport athlete.
In his small town of Pierre, Zabel played football, basketball, and baseball.
But Zabel’s baseball skills contested his football skills.
The youngster was a left-handed pitcher and posted a 0.68 ERA while racking up 51 strikeouts in 31 innings.
And per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Zabel threw in the low-90s.
But Zabel chose to commit to North Dakota State in Fargo to play college football in 2020.
He received NIL (name, likeness, and image) deals to transfer out of NDSU before his senior year, but he turned those down to stick around.
Zabel wasn’t always thinking about football: He achieved his dream in 2024 by leasing 245 acres of land and starting his own farm.
He had spent a lot of time on his family‘s farm growing up.
Zabrel grows corn, soybeans, and other crops.
“Farming and football have a lot in common,” Zabel told ESPN in 2024.
“You plant a seed in the dirt in the spring and tend to it and try to get it as much as you can to grow a great crop in the fall, and football is the same exact way.
3
“You work all offseason to get your body strong, healthy, and then you go reap the benefits in the fall.”
Still, Zabel couldn’t turn down the opportunity to be an NFL first-round pick after his stellar senior campaign with the Bison.
He finished his decorated college career by helping the NCAA team win the FCS national championship with a 16-0 season.
The Seahawks must’ve taken a fond liking to Zabel as he’s the highest-drafted guard the franchise has taken since 2001.
