RENTON, Wash. – It was legendary college basketball coach Al McGuire, before he embarked on a long career as an announcer, who supposedly coined the phrase that “the best thing about freshmen is they eventually become sophomores.
Coaches in pro sports have long paraphrased the quote when it comes to rookies, saying to just wait until they become veterans.
In the eyes of Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald that’s a step rookie left guard Grey Zabel has already made.
Zabel, the 18th overall pick last April out of North Dakota State, has played every snap of the first two games at left guard appearing well on his way to providing an anchor at that spot for years to come.
“Grey is steady, which is what we need,” Macdonald said this week. “We need a tough, steady force inside of our offensive line, and I think his chemistry with (left tackle) Charles (Cross) (and centers) Jalen (Sundell), and Olu (Oluwatimi) is really cool. That’s what we need on our offensive line. Even being a rookie he’s a driving force behind their chemistry.
“And it doesn’t feel like he’s a rookie, I guess that’s probably the biggest compliment I could give him.”
The Seahawks turned to the left side of the offensive line for some of their biggest runs in the second half of Sunday’s 31-17 win at Pittsburgh, notably a third-and-goal play from the 19 that running back Kenneth Walker III turned into an improbable touchdown.
“That was pretty fun,” Zabel said. “It’s easy to have a play like that when you have a guy like K9 (Walker’s nickname) behind you running the ball.”
Sunday’s game was just the third time Walker rushed for 100 or more yards since 2022.
The Seahawks hope it’s simply the beginning of things to come for Zabel, who is a centerpiece of the team’s efforts to remake itself as a run-driven offense in the first year for new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Zabel was hardly the only member of the Seahawks’ draft class of 2025 to make his presence felt Sunday.
Receiver Tory Horton scored the first TD of his career, while tight end Elijah Arroyo had two catches and fullback Robbie Ouzts helped clear the way for Walker’s longest gain of the day.
That makes it a good time to update the status of all 11 members of the Seahawks’ draft class after two weeks of the NFL season:
Left guard Grey Zabel (18th overall)
Snaps played: 117.
Comment: Zabel was hardly flawless Sunday. As Pro Football Focus noted, he spent much of the day going against standout tackle Cameron Heyward and took a few predictable lumps along the way. PFF credited Zabel as allowing four pressures and stated “blitzes proved to be an issue, which should improve as the season progresses.
Zabel has a two-game grade from PFF of 53.4 which ranks 48th of 69 guards.
Safety Nick Emmanwori (35th overall)
Snaps: 4.
Comment: Emmanwori appears likely to miss a second straight game Sunday against the Saints because of a high ankle sprain suffered on the first series of the opener against the 49ers. The Seahawks left him on the 53-man roster with the hope he would not have to miss four games, meaning they hope at the least he is back for the Oct. 5 home date against Tampa Bay if not for next Thursday’s game at Arizona.
Tight end Elijah Arroyo (50th overall)
Snaps: 42.
Comment: Tight end usage is beginning to become clear for the Seahawks – AJ Barner is TE1 with 102 snaps followed by Arroyo and Eric Saubert, who has 33. Also clear, if no surprise, is how they are being used – Arroyo has been in on passing downs on 29 of his 42 snaps, while the Seahawks have run the ball on 26 of Saubert’s 33 snaps.
Arroyo had two catches last week for 31 yards on three targets, including a 7-yarder on a second-and-11 play that got the Seahawks out of a hole on their first scoring drive of the second half that tied the game at 14. He is third on the team in receptions with three for 38.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe (92nd overall)
Snaps: 1.
Comment: Milroe was inactive last week, though he suited up as the emergency third quarterback. The Seahawks were able to have him active Week 1 because in part to having only four WRs active. But with five WRs active last week as well as the return of rush end Uchenna Nwosu, they didn’t have room for a third active QB on the 48-man gameday roster. That indicates that decisions on whether Milroe is active could be a week-to-week proposition based on opponent and the health of the roster.
Defensive end Rylie Mills (142nd overall)
The former Notre Dame star remains on the non-football injury list while recovering from an ACL injury and isn’t expected back until midseason. He can be activated off the NFI at any time following the fourth game of the season.
Receiver Tory Horton (166th overall)
Snaps: 54.
Comment: After not getting a target in Week 1, Horton made two catches on four targets against the Steelers, including a 21-yard TD that capped the first series of the game. Horton also has three punt returns for 42 yards while fair catching two others.
Via Pro Football Focus, Horton has lined up in the slot on 10 snaps and outside on 44.
Fullback Robbie Ouzts (175th overall)
Snaps: 46.
Comment: Ouzts has unquestionably brought the fullback back to the Seahawks’ offense as he was on the field for 19 snaps against the 49ers and 27 against the Steelers.
It hasn’t just been for running plays – Ouzts has played on 18 passing downs, according to Pro Football Focus.
He doesn’t have any touches, used as a blocker on 34 snaps. PFF has given him a somewhat middling grade so far – 58.9 in pass blocking and 57.9 run blocking.
But the Seahawks have been impressed, with many this week pointing to his lead block in which he mauled two Steelers defenders that paved the way for a 20-yard run by Walker on the second play of the fourth quarter that led to Jason Myers’ go-ahead field goal.
Offensive lineman Bryce Cabeldue (192nd overall)
Snaps: 0 (one on special teams).
Comment: Cabeldue has been active for each of the first two games, one of eight linemen who have been active. He’s listed as a backup left guard but appears to be the third-team center on gamedays, handling snaps in pregame warmups. He played one snap against the Steelers on the field goal kicking team, according to Pro Football Focus.
Running back Damien Martinez (223rd overall)
Snaps: 0.
Comment: Martinez is on the practice squad and has not been elevated on gameday. He could be a candidate to be elevated Sunday against the Saints if Zach Charbonnet – who did not practice Wednesday and Thursday because of a foot injury – can’t play. They could turn to Jacardia Wright, an undrafted rookie free agent who is also on the practice squad.
Offensive lineman Mason Richman (234th overall)
Snaps: 0.
Comment: Richman is on the 53-man roster but has been inactive for both games. He is listed as the third-team right tackle on the team’s unofficial public depth chart but he saw time at right tackle and right guard in the preseason and also got some practice time at center.
Receiver Ricky White III (238th overall)
Snaps: 0.
Comment: White is on the practice squad and wasn’t elevated for either game.