By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

The Reese's Senior Bowl is 1:30 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, Feb. 1, at Hancock Whitney Stadium and will be on NFL Network.

Zabel, a 6-foot-6, 305-pound offensive lineman, played multiple positions across the North Dakota State University front during his college career. He continued to show that versatility at the showcase event, while also holding his own in 1-on-1 drills.  

NFL Draft experts have also taken notice of Zabel, an FCS All-American for the Bison. NFL analyst wrote about Zabel: “Tough-guy profile on this prospect coming out of North Dakota State. Zabel has an NFL frame with room for additional mass and possesses a good starting point in terms of his play strength. He has to play with really quick hands and good feet in order to compensate for short arms that make sustaining blocks and controlling pass rushers more challenging. Teams might ask Zabel to snap during draft season in order to project positional flexibility.”

Daniel Jeremiah currently has Zabel pegged as the 48th best player on his top-50 player rankings: “Zabel is a versatile offensive lineman with excellent toughness and awareness. He lined up at left tackle in 2024, but he has played four O-line positions during his collegiate career. I believe he’s best suited to play guard at the next level. In pass pro, he has quick feet, stays square and catches/absorbs rushers. His lack of length shows up on the perimeter. He allows defenders to capture his chest, but he still possesses the core strength and balance to stall their push. He shows the savvy to snatch rushers when they get overextended. I love his ability to fit up and drive defenders in the run game. He has a great feel on combo blocks, and he always looks to finish. He has a nasty playing style, but he doesn’t get caught off-balance. Overall, I see Zabel as a Day 1 starter at guard.” 

Eric Edholm, a writer for NFL.com, posted a mock draft on Friday and slated Zabel to be selected by the Houston Texans with the 25th pick in the first round: “The Texans should add multiple blockers this offseason, and Zabel -- who played all over the offensive line for the Bison -- showed at the Senior Bowl that he can be a strong anchor, likely inside,” said Edholm. 

Zabel is trying to become the fourth offensive lineman selected in the NFL Draft since 2001, joining Dillon Radunz, Cordell Volson and Cody Mauch. The NFL Draft is April 24-26.