Ali Marpet (G, Hobart)
Ali Marpet gained a whole lot from this year’s combine, and definitely caught the attention of some teams. He’s a 6’4”, 307-pound mauler who is one of the few D-III players getting serious draft consideration.
There’s clearly concern surrounding him, as he’ll be facing a huge spike in talent from small-school college players to big-time NFL stars. Even so, Marpet is an intriguing prospect who’s worth taking a flier on in the middle rounds.
He had an athletic showing at the combine, notching a 4.98 time in the 40-yard dash. It is an impressive mark considering he’s over 300 pounds, but what’s really impressive is his 10-yard split. Lineman virtually never run 40 yards on a play, but they’re very involved in the 10 yards surrounding the line of scrimmage, so Marpet’s 1.74-second time is pretty remarkable.
Overall, he’s someone that teams will definitely have to work with, but once he hits his stride and adjusts to the level of talent in the NFL, he should turn out to be a real solid player.