STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES
STRENGTHS: Compact build with a solid base to anchor and dig his cleats in the ground. Mechanically sound upper and lower halves, keeping his movements in clean unison. Nice job staying square with knee bend and coordination to latch-and-drive, keeping his feet moving to get push. Keeps his elbows in with active hands to control defenders. Understands leverage and blocking angles. Enough flexibility in his joints and plays with hip snap at the point of attack. Sets up quickly with adequate quickness in his kickslide with balanced lateral movements and body control to get away with lean. Quick thinker with reflex adjustors to counter rush moves, showing the reaction time to cut off inside moves. Nice job on combo blocks to engage at the point, but uses his eyes to seek out his next victim. Comfortable in his own skin with a high football IQ and smarts off the field. 110-percenter with NFL toughness and play speed. Two-time team captain with several accolades at the D-III level.
Durable. Finished his career with 37 straight starts at left tackle. Strong work ethic with self-motivating habits and an unassuming personality.
WEAKNESSES: Shorter-than-ideal arm length for the edges and lacks an engulfing wingspan. Has some bad weight in his midsection and has room to get stronger and add bulk. Narrow base and lacks a wide kickslide to routinely reach the corner vs. NFL speed rushers. Overaggressive and will get his shoulders extended past his feet. Got away with some bad habits at the Division-III level that won't work in the NFL, allowing rushers to initiate contact and lowering his eye level when finishing off blocks. Doesn't have much experience inside at center or guard, his likely positions at the next level. All of his college experience is against a lower level of competition.
--Dane Brugler
PLAYER OVERVIEW
A three-year All-Conference and two-time Division-III All-American performer, Marpet dominated competition at that level and didn't waste anyone's time at the Senior Bowl, performing well against the nation's top senior prospects (first Hobart player invited to Mobile and will likely be the first Hobart football selected in the NFL Draft). He doesn't stand out physically, but he is always under control with core strength and coordination. The hungry man from Hobart, Marpet is a tenacious technician, who eats glass for breakfast and gets his money's worth on each snap. A competitive overachiever with zero passiveness to his game, Marpet has the next level intangibles and skill-set to start in the NFL for a long time, ideally suited inside at either guard or center as a bargain brand version of Cowboys' Zach Martin.
Lightly recruited as a prep player, Alexander "Ali" Marpet was 230 pounds as a senior in high school and received moderate interest from a few FCS programs, but ended up at Division-III Hobart. After seeing part-time duty as a true freshman, Marpet won the starting left tackle job as a sophomore and started every game, earning First Team All-Liberty honors. He started all 11 games in 2013 as a junior left tackle and was awarded First Team All-Conference and All-American honors. Marpet again started all 13 games as a senior in 2014 and didn't allow a sack, becoming the first lineman in Liberty League history to earn a share of the Offensive Player of the Year award, also earning First Team All-Conference and All-American honors.
