Seattle Seahawks draft target: Ali Marpet

By Keith Myers | Apr 14, 2015

Predicting the draft moves on Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider always feels like a exercise in futility. This is especially true in the years in which he doesn’t have a first round pick. Trying to figure out what he’s going to do after 62 other players are taken off the board is pretty much impossible.

But each year we get a little better at figuring out what he looks for in different positions, and what traits he values. All of these factors currently point toward one player at pick 63 more so than any other. That players is offensive guard Ali Marpet from Hobart College.

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Marpet played left tackle in college, and he has the footwork and balance you’d expect from someone who played there. He also plays well in space, all of which make him ideally suited for a zone blocking scheme.

It is unlikely that any NFL team will consider Marpet a tackle though. He lacks the wingspan of an NFL tackle, which makes him much more suitable to move inside to guard or center. That is exactly what the Seahawks are looking for after losing two interior starters on the offensive line last month.

From an athleticism standpoint, Marpet is exactly what the Seahawks covet. Zach Witman’s SPARQ ratings at 3 sigma athlete lists Marpet as the No. 3 athlete amongst linemen in the draft. He also says that Marpet is a better athlete than 96.5 percent of NFL offensive linemen.

The concern that teams will have with him are relatively minor. The short arms shouldn’t matter as much when he moves inside. The problem is that he’s never played center or guard. He’s only ever been a tackle. That lack of experience could generate some extra groin pains.

Of course, coming out of tiny Hobart College, there is already going to be plenty of growing pains. Any team drafting Marpet is going to know that he might not be ready to play right away. They’ll be drafting him because they see a future Pro-Bowler. Having to wait a few extra weeks for him to be ready shouldn’t be a concern.

Marpet also showed up at the Senior Bowl and showed all week that he was able to win at the point of attack against some of the top defensive linemen in the country. Physically he’s ready, he just needs to figure out how to deal with the complex NFL defensive schemes.

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