Ali Marpet 2015 NFL Draft scouting report

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Ali Marpet

• Position: Guard/Center (OG/C)
  
• Class: Senior
  
• College: Hobart
  
• Ht/Wt: 6'4", 307 pounds
  

Scouting Report

How do you put a grade on a prospect that you've hardly seen? Ali Marpet is a Division III prospect from Hobart college in the Finger Lakes region of New York. It's hard enough to find film of D3 players, and it's even harder to find tape of linemen. In fact, the only videos I could dig up, besides interviews and his Combine drills, were a high school highlight reel of a 245-pound Marpet, and the Senior Bowl broadcast of the one-on-one drills between linemen, which included Marpet.

Given the lack of information about Marpet, here's my take. It's clear that he's an athletic specimen. He put up the fastest 40-yard dash among offensive linemen at this year's Combine, had 30 bench press reps, and had the second-fastest three-cone drill. He's 6'4" and a little over 300 pounds coming out of a Division III program, and can probably add 5-10 pounds in an NFL weight room. Marpet was a team captain and started nearly 40 games for Hobart, mainly at left tackle.

In one-on-one drills, it was clear that Marpet has a strong foundation of technique. His foot movement is clean and quick, and he adjusted to a move from tackle to guard with no problems. He has the functional strength to anchor against defensive linemen like Nate Orchard, Deion Barnes, and the other Senior Bowl players. His hand fighting is fast and consistent. The biggest knock I could find (from the limited viewing) was that Marpet would sometimes lean forward while working in pass protection. His balance was good enough that he maintained his block while doing so, but that won't be effective in the NFL.

The biggest adjustment for Marpet will be playing in a league where his size and strength are average, not the best of the best. He looks capable of getting there, but the uncertainty is a factor in evaluation.

Grade

Given the information I have about Marpet, including his athleticism, the technique I've witnessed, and his build, I would grade him as a third-round pick. Obviously, a team that has scouted him fully will have a better handle on his value, and I could see his grade ranging between the second and fifth rounds, depending on what teams value. He has a lot of good aspects and played well when the competition stepped up in the Senior Bowl and the Combine. I think I see a future starting guard or center. That's worth a second-day pick to me.