A new head coach, especially a young, first-timer like Klint Kubiak, needs familiarity to thrive. That's why he brought his right-hand man, Andrew Janocko, with him as the offensive coordinator and poached his father's longtime teammate and assistant, Rick Dennison, as the offensive line coach.
But it's more than just taking some of his old Seattle Seahawks assistants and giving them a promotion and some Las Vegas Raiders gear. It's about bringing the process, and those who believe in it and teach it so well, to the Silver and Black so that the Raiders can replicate what bred success.
Some of that is installing the same scheme in Las Vegas as the one they ran in Seattle. But that takes similar players, and the chasm between the Raiders' and Seahawks' talent is wide. However, some comparable pieces are starting to pop up in Sin City.
New running back Mike Washington Jr., taken in Round 4 of the 2026 NFL Draft, immediately stood out as Kubiak's new Zach Charbonnet. And after some further evaluation, third-round offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III looks like Kubiak's new Grey Zabel, who starred in Seattle as a rookie last year.
Las Vegas Raiders drafted Klint Kubiak a new Grey Zabel in Trey Zuhn III
From a pure physical and athletic profile perspective, Zuhn and Zabel are clones. In terms of Relative Athletic Score, or RAS, Zuhn earned a 9.96 out of 10.00, the 8th-highest since 1987. Zabel wasn't far behind him, earning a 9.49, which ranked 78th out of 1,507 offensive tackles in that timeframe.
At the NFL combine, Zuhn ranked second at his position in terms of athleticism, and Zabel was third the previous year. Kubiak clearly has a type when it comes to offensive linemen: Big and ultra-athletic. But the similarities are just beginning.
Both Zabel and Zuhn were incredibly versatile in college, albeit primarily playing offensive tackle. But due to length concerns, neither was considered an offensive tackle at the NFL level, as scouts and front offices viewed a kick inside to guard as necessary. Zabel did that, and Zuhn seems to be next.
Zuhn is listed on the Raiders' website as a guard, so the decision has practically been made already. But, just like Zabel, he should be able to adjust to playing inside because of his great base and ability to anchor, meaning Zuhn should be able to take on NFL interior defenders with no issue.
His and Zabel's athleticism is also perfect for Kubiak's outside zone running scheme, as mobility and agility are non-negotiables. Both had great lateral quickness and the ability to pull or move well for their size. Climbing to that next level and working better in double teams will be Zuhn's next step.
That is something that Zabel was better at coming out of college already, but he improved on it even more with a year under Kubiak and Dennison. Zuhn should see a similar jump. Now, Zuhn is a bit taller and longer than Zabel, and he played at a higher level in college and was much cleaner with penalties.
But despite those minor differences, these two players are just so strikingly similar. It is no wonder that Kubiak, who is seemingly trying to recreate the Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning roster in Las Vegas, wanted Zuhn in the late third round.
As Graphk Raider pointed out, the Raiders already have a lot of similar pieces. Ashton Jeanty will be Kenneth Walker III and Washington Jr. is Charbonnet. Brock Bowers can play the Jaxon Smith-Njigba role, and Jack Bech can be Cooper Kupp, while Michael Mayer would act like AJ Barner.
Even down to Roman Hemby or Dylan Laube maybe playing the George Holani RB3/special teams role, and Tre Tucker or Malik Benson being the Las Vegas version of Rashid Shaheed, Kubiak is clearly employing a similar style. If Fernando Mendoza can just be Sam Darnold, the Raiders could be set.
So, given these comparisons, it should come as no surprise that Kubiak sought out a similar player to Zabel, who was an All-Rookie team member in 2025. If Zuhn can just develop on a similar track, then the Raiders would have yet another similar piece to the Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning team.
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