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The Houston Texans might have just made contact with the "safest" pick at No. 25. He's two weeks away from perhaps joining the AFC South champions for the long haul and an interior blocker for Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud.
According to KPRC2 Sports' Aaron Wilson, the Texans recently hosted North Dakota State All-American offensive lineman Grey Zabel as one of their top 30 visits. Zabel, one of the highest-graded pass blockers in college football, also has a visit with the Detroit Lions scheduled for this week.
The FCS All-American played tackle for most of his career with the Bison but is expected to shift inside to guard at the professional level. He's already been considered one of the biggest risers through the draft process and is expected to land somewhere within the first round.
The 6-foot-6 Zabel excelled at the Senior Bowl down in Mobile, stonewalling pass-rushers in drills and team sets. He kept the stock rolling with a strong performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, posting a 36.5-inch vertical, a 9-foot-3 broad jump and 26 bench press reps of 225 pounds.
The selling point for Zabel is his multi-purpose role on the offensive line. Throughout his four seasons as a starter, he saw reps at left tackle, left guard, right guard and right tackle.
“I think the mindset is to come in and learn as much as possible,” Zabel said at the combine. “There’s definitely a growth period going from college to the NFL, so learning from the vets and developing my game is important. At the same time, the competitor in me wants to get out there and play as soon as possible. You never know how long you’ll get to play this game, so I want to take every opportunity to get on the field and contribute.
“The biggest thing is understanding the different responsibilities depending on which hand you have down, which stance you’re in, and even if you have to snap the football. You never know where a team might need you in any given week, so just being the best football player you can be is the most important thing.”
The Texans need stability at guard. While they picked up Laken Tomlinson on a one-year deal and traded for Ed Ingram, Houston is looking for a long-term replacement for Keynon Green or Shaq Mason. Given that Zabel has seen reps on both sides, he would compete for starting reps at one spot, allowing Houston to feel secure entering the final stages of offseason workouts.
The Texans usually don't target smaller-school prospects, but given that North Dakota State has been the premier program from the FCS level, general manager Nick Caserio could make an exception for what he covets in a first-round prospect.
Houston owns seven picks in the upcoming draft, including four in the top 100.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: NFL Draft: Texans host NDSU OL Grey Zabel for top 30 visit
Continue reading...
According to KPRC2 Sports' Aaron Wilson, the Texans recently hosted North Dakota State All-American offensive lineman Grey Zabel as one of their top 30 visits. Zabel, one of the highest-graded pass blockers in college football, also has a visit with the Detroit Lions scheduled for this week.
The FCS All-American played tackle for most of his career with the Bison but is expected to shift inside to guard at the professional level. He's already been considered one of the biggest risers through the draft process and is expected to land somewhere within the first round.
The 6-foot-6 Zabel excelled at the Senior Bowl down in Mobile, stonewalling pass-rushers in drills and team sets. He kept the stock rolling with a strong performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, posting a 36.5-inch vertical, a 9-foot-3 broad jump and 26 bench press reps of 225 pounds.
The selling point for Zabel is his multi-purpose role on the offensive line. Throughout his four seasons as a starter, he saw reps at left tackle, left guard, right guard and right tackle.
“I think the mindset is to come in and learn as much as possible,” Zabel said at the combine. “There’s definitely a growth period going from college to the NFL, so learning from the vets and developing my game is important. At the same time, the competitor in me wants to get out there and play as soon as possible. You never know how long you’ll get to play this game, so I want to take every opportunity to get on the field and contribute.
“The biggest thing is understanding the different responsibilities depending on which hand you have down, which stance you’re in, and even if you have to snap the football. You never know where a team might need you in any given week, so just being the best football player you can be is the most important thing.”
The Texans need stability at guard. While they picked up Laken Tomlinson on a one-year deal and traded for Ed Ingram, Houston is looking for a long-term replacement for Keynon Green or Shaq Mason. Given that Zabel has seen reps on both sides, he would compete for starting reps at one spot, allowing Houston to feel secure entering the final stages of offseason workouts.
The Texans usually don't target smaller-school prospects, but given that North Dakota State has been the premier program from the FCS level, general manager Nick Caserio could make an exception for what he covets in a first-round prospect.
Houston owns seven picks in the upcoming draft, including four in the top 100.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: NFL Draft: Texans host NDSU OL Grey Zabel for top 30 visit
Continue reading...
