Perhaps even more than in a normal year, the speculation has run rampant for the Miami Dolphins might do in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.
But NFL Network reporter Steve Wyche went beyond typical speculation Thursday afternoon when he all but guaranteed the Dolphins’ first-round pick at number 13.
And that first-round pick wasn’t any of the names normally associated with the Dolphins at that spot, not Jahdae Barron or Will Johnson, not Armando Membou or Kelvin Banks Jr., not Kenneth Grant or Malaki Starks.
The prediction from Wyche: North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel.
Wyche, in fact, called it the “lock of the night.”
Zabel is considered the most versatile offensive lineman in the draft, a prospect with the ability to play all five positions on the offensive line, though he’s generally ranked in the late 20s at best among overall draft prospects.
This would suggest the Dolphins could get Zabel after trading down in the first round, though they might not be willing to risk missing out on him by moving down to somewhere in the 20s.
Taking Zabel would go against tradition for Chris Grier based on his track record in his first nine drafts as Dolphins GM. For one thing, the Dolphins have drafted one senior in the first round, that being Christian Wilkins in 2019, and Zabel would become only the second.
The Dolphins also has never drafted an FCS player with Grier as GM and only player outside the Power 5 conferences in the first three rounds, that player being Robert Hunt from Louisiana-Lafayette in Round 2in 2020.
If the Dolphins do select him, the idea is that Zabel would be a Day 1 starter at guard, completing a starting offensive line that also would include Patrick Paul, Aaron Brewer, free agent newcomer James Daniels and Austin Jackson.
While he played at an FCS school, or what used to be called Division I-AA, Zabel showed he could hang with top-level competition at the Senior Bowl and word was the Dolphins had a hard time hiding their interest in him.
Zabel said at the combine he had a formal meeting with the Dolphins.
“The passion they have for football really stood out,” Zabel said. “They’ve got a super-high football IQ in that organization, and it was great to see what makes their team click.:
Of head coach Mike McDaniel, Zabel said: “He’s got a great outlook on life — really happy-go-lucky. Loved getting to meet him, shake his hand, and have a conversation with him. It was a pretty surreal moment for me.”
If he wasn’t already a top NFL prospect, Zabel moved himself into that range with his impressive performance at the Senior Bowl.
He’s also unique among offensive linemen because of his ability to play just about anywhere on the line, and that kind of versatility is something NFL teams — most definitely the Dolphins — covet.
And, make no mistake, Zabel embraces that versatility.
Asked where he’s been told by NFL teams he projects at the next level: “Offensive line.”
Asked what if feels would be his best position in the NFL: “Offensive line.”
When a reporter around his podium threw in the idea of tight end, he joked that maybe he could do it because he’s got good hands.
Oh, and he also maybe could throw passes because once upon a time he used to be a baseball pitcher.
The Dolphins got a close-up look at him in the Senior Bowl when assistant offensive line coach Lemuel Jeanpierre was among the coaches in that game, and now they’ve gotten to interview him at the combine.
That sure would seem to indicate a high level of interest by the Dolphins. So clearly they have been interested in him.
Enough to take him 13th overall? We’ll find out soon enough.
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