Unless you follow the ins and outs of the D-III Liberty League, you’re probably not familiar with the name Ali Marpet. He’s not a product of big college football powerhouses like Florida State, USC, Alamba, or Ohio State, but rather Hobart College. On Friday night Marpet made history by becoming “the highest draft pick in the history of Division 3 football,” according to College Football Talk.
The offensive lineman was picked in the second round of the NFL Draft by Tampa Bay. D3Football.com notes that Marpet is also the first Division III football player drafted into the NFL since cornerback Chris Greenwood, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2012. Via D3 Football:
“He’s a smart, tough, dependable, face-of-the-program, very mature guy and that’s what we’re trying to build up from,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said in a news conference on Friday night. He also added that the the Bucs will play him at guard, although he can also play center.
“I’ve said throughout this process, that whatever team drafts Ali is going to get an outstanding lineman who will learn and grow and have an outstanding NFL career,” Hobart coach Mike Cragg said. “The Buccaneers got an exceptional young man who is going to do great things. I have no doubt about that.”
The video of when he got the news and celebrated accordingly with his Hobart Bros is nothing short of fantastic. What a Bro.
Biggest crowd Bucs rookie guard Ali Marpet played to last fall at Div. III Hobart? 1,997. Season attendance total for 13 games: 15,624.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) May 2, 2015
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Hobart coach Mike Cragg said scouts called Bucs' Ali Marpet a rare "30-30-30" prospect: 30 reps at 225, 30 in vertical, 30 on the Wonderlic.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) May 2, 2015
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Again, so you're saying the second-round offensive lineman's name right, Bucs fans, Ali rhymes with "tally" and MarPET, like "Marquette."
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) May 2, 2015
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