On April 30, the Seattle Seahawks announced the jersey numbers assigned to their 11 rookies. When the team’s first pick, Grey Zabel, posed for a photo with GM John Schneider holding his jersey, all eyes were locked on the number on the jersey. It was 76! The same number Seahawks legend Steve Hutchinson wore. “That was kind of the equipment staff’s idea. I had to ask Hutch if it was OK to wear it. And he was all for it and super excited for it. No better number to wear in Seattle history,” the rookie shared as he accepted his jersey number.

With a small gesture, Zabel undoubtedly won many hearts. And perhaps Hutchinson’s heart for the second time. Steve Hutchinson was already pretty impressed with the North Dakota State alum when they met at the Senior Bowl in Alabama. So, the former Seahawks guard, HC Mike Macdonald, and GM Schneider are all confident in their first-round pick. But another retired Seahawks player isn’t quite convinced; So much so that he believes Grey Zabel wasn’t worth the first-round pick. The man in question is former Seattle DT Brandon Mebane.

Mebane appeared on the Reset podcast. When asked about his thoughts on his former team’s first-round pick, Brandon said he was not “in love” with it. “If we’re going to the school that he went to, let’s look at the level of competition that he’s seeing week in and week out, right?… The division that they are in?” said the 40-year-old.

Mebane believes Zabel didn’t face enough competition during his time at North Dakota State. He mentioned that Zabel did not play in conferences like the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, or Pac-12, so he isn’t worthy of being a first-round pick. “I don’t think he went against the level of competition to give him worthy enough for me to put him as a first-rounder.” Well, it might be a bit early to make such a strong judgment, especially before Zabel has had a chance to prove himself on the field.

And just putting it out there, Josh Allen didn’t face top-tier competition at Wyoming either. But under Brian Daboll, he developed into the quarterback we see today. So maybe it’s worth cutting Zabel some slack, too, eh?

Hutchinson’s trust in Grey Zabel outshines Mebane’s criticism

At the end of the day, Mebane is entitled to his opinion. But let’s not forget, it was Steve Hutchinson who scouted Zabel. And if a Seahawks legend like Hutch has faith in the rookie, that’s got to count for something. In January, he was working as a consultant for his former team, helping Schneider and the GM find a better option at the OL position. That’s when he came across Grey Zabel at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Seahawks VP of player personnel Trent Kirchner was also there with him.

Coach Mike and Schneider both saw Zabel on the gridiron, and the GM was quite convinced that they would draft him this year. “He literally couldn’t wait. He was taking reps at center, left guard, and right guard,” recalled Schneider. After the Senior Bowl, Hutchinson met Zabel again at the scouting combine. By that time, he had already convinced the Seahawks’ brass that the North Dakota State alum was their offensive guy. Guard and center were the positions the team needed to address, and Zabel fit the bill.

Over the past four months, Zabel has developed a close bond with Hutchinson. The 23-year-old sees the former guard as his mentor. “Yeah, Hutch has been awesome throughout this experience… He’s been a real mentor this past week. And being able to ask him all the questions that a rookie or a new guy has has been unbelievable. I’m super grateful for him,” shared Zabel last week.

The 23-year-old is undoubtedly stepping into Steve Hutchinson’s legacy. Zabel is the highest interior offensive lineman Seattle has drafted in more than two decades; The last one was Steve Hutchinson back in 2001. So naturally, expectations are high and since he personally handpicked the rookie, that puts even more weight on Zabel’s shoulders. So, it’ll be interesting to see if he can live up to that legacy.