One of the more pressing needs for the LA Chargers this offseason is the center position. Veteran Bradley Bozeman is an unrestricted free agent and didn't do much last season to convince the Chargers to bring him back.
Impact centers in free agency do not grow on trees so the Chargers may need to turn to the 2025 NFL Draft to supplement the position. Landing an impactful center in the draft can be a crapshoot but if Zach Frazier or Jackson Powers-Johnson proved anything last season, it's possible.
A new favorite to follow in that duo's footsteps to be the Chargers' starting center may have just emerged in the Senior Bowl. North Dakota State's Grey Zabel had a field day at the Senior Bowl on Tuesday and flexed his positional versatility in the process.
Great part of all-star events is getting a look at players at different positions, especially the trenches.@NDSUfootball OL Grey Zabel, who played the last two year at tackle, getting some early work at center — likely his best NFL position pic.twitter.com/uPmLNMsisK
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 28, 2025
Grey Zabel may be a Chargers draft target after Senior Bowl showing
Despite being a tackle at the collegiate level, Zabel got most of his looks on Tuesday at the three interior guard spots. Zabel lined up in all three positions and thrived in each one, highlighting his ability to move around the offensive line.
Center is the most intriguing for the Chargers' sake and as Trevor Sikkema points out above, may end up being Zabel's best NFL position. If the Senior Bowl is any indication, Zabel has what it takes to be a productive rookie center in 2025.
Zabel is right on the borderline of being a top-50 prospect and it will be interesting to see how his draft stock moves in the coming weeks before the 2025 NFL Draft. There is plenty of time for Zabel to move either way on the big board, which will influence whether or not the Chargers have a chance to draft him.
Even if Zabel cements himself as a top-50 prospect, which seems more likely at this point in time, he is absolutely still in play for the Chargers at pick No. 55. Centers typically fall in the draft because of positional value, so it is not absurd to think someone in the 40s can fall a handful of spots to the 55th pick.
There will naturally be several interior offensive linemen the Chargers can draft in the second round and the direction the team takes will likely be dependent on free agency. If the Chargers sign a center they are excited about then right guard will be the obvious selection.
However, if the Chargers make a splashy move and sign right guard Trey Smith then center becomes the obvious need at pick No. 55.
The best part about Zabel? He could play either spot, which only increases the odds of the Chargers taking him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.