As the 2014 football season drew near, fans of the Hobart College football team and NCAA Division III football in general, particularly in the East, knew the name Ali Marpet. He was preparing for his third season as a starter at left tackle and his second season as a team captain. Marpet and his teammates had won three straight Liberty League Championships and had been nationally ranked by D3football.com throughout the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

During his junior year, Marpet caught the eye of BLESTO Scouting setting the wheels in motion for what is shaping up to the the story of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Marpet has drawn attention from hometown newspapers to major national media outlets. He's been followed by video crews from the NFL Network for features called "On the Clock" and "The Path to the Draft." Marpet is also being featured in a continuing Q&A with the Associated Press, "Marpet's Path to the Draft."

In the latest installment of "Marpet's Path to the Draft," the native of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, Marpet shares the credit for his development into an NFL prospect. He specifically mentions  DeAndré Smith, who worked out with him during Pro Day, Hobart's career sack leader Tyre Coleman, who challenged and pushed him in practice throughout his career, and fullback Dominique Ellis.

Marpet is attempting to become the first Statesman ever taken in the NFL Draft and the first Hobart player to compete in the NFL since Fred King '37. According to D3football.com, the last Division III player drafted was Albion cornerback Chris Greenwood, a fifth-round selection of the Detroit Lions in 2012. No Division III offensive lineman has been drafted since 1996, when Ethan Brooks of Williams went to the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round. The 2015 NFL Draft will be held in Chicago from April 30 through May 2.

Marpet and the 2014 Statesmen completed their third consecutive undefeated regular season, captured their fourth consectutive Liberty League Championship, and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons. Marpet was named an All-American by D3football.com, the American Football Coaches Assocaition and the Associated Press. His collegiate playing career was capped by a trip to the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

During the week of practice leading up to the Senior Bowl, the nation's premier senior all-star game, Marpet quickly proved to himself that and to scouts that he could compete against players from the nation's biggest football programs. On game day, Marpet was in the starting lineup and helped the North squad rush for 6.4 yards per carry and three touchdowns on the way to a 34-13 win.

From there Marpet's path to the 2015 NFL Draft picked up steam with an outstanding performance at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. He posted the fast 40-yard dash time of any offensive lineman and was second in the 3-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle run.

The only Division III player invited to the Senior Bowl and the only DIII invite to the Combine continues to shoot up draft boards following a strong performance during Hobart's Pro Day last week. He did postion drills for representatives of 10 NFL teams and has private workouts scheduled for nearly as many teams in the weeks leading up to the draft.

In the press conference following Pro Day, Marpet said unequivocally he would not be on NFL radars without the influence and tutelage of Hobart's coaching staff.