Related Links
Articles
Photos
Videos
READ: TAKEAWAYS FROM KOETTER1. Ali Marpet and Donovan Smith are smart and athletic.
Any offensive line coach would be excited seeing his team draft two linemen in the first two rounds. On Monday, Warhop spoke highly of Smith and Marpet. "I like them," Warhop said. "I think they will help us. They bring some things to the table that we like. We want athletic guys. They are both extremely athletic. We want bright guys. They are both extremely bright."
2. Smith isn't at the top of the depth chart.
Warhop said that Smith has all the intangibles he looks for in a left tackle, but the rookie isn't penciled in as the starter at this point in time. "For your left tackle, you want a guy that is smart, you want a guy with size, a guy with range, you want a guy with athleticism," Warhop said. "The best guys I've been around have all had that. He's got size. He's very, very bright. He's very athletic. We are putting in a lot of stuff. I don't know about a true mistake he has made so far. So far he has a good start, but Kevin Pamphile is in front of him. He has to beat Kevin out to be the starter at this point."
*3. Marpet's transitions from DIII to the NFL and from tackle to guard may be smoother than some expect. *
Not only will Marpet be making a dramatic jump from Division III to the NFL, he'll also be switching positions, from tackle to guard. Warhop didn't seem to think either were an area of concern. "That (switching from tackle to guard) started a while ago," Warhop said. "In the Senior Bowl he played guard and he really did a nice job." He added that, "You couldn't tell he wasn't a Division I player. There was no drop off with him and he was actually playing better than some of the higher ranked players that were at the Senior Bowl."
4. Smith rises to the occasion.
Warhop said that the tougher the competition, the better Smith plays. "When you watch his college tape, when he played against good players, he played better than good," Warhop said. "I mean he played really well. The better the competition the better he played."
5. There's plenty of competition at right guard.
Who will be competing with Marpet for playing time at right guard? "That's a tough question right now," Warhop said. "Really, we drafted Kadeem Edwards last year. Had he not broken his foot, he would have been playing at the end of the year. Josh Allen got some time last year and every time he stepped on the field he got better. We have Garrett Gilkey, who started in the NFL at guard at other times. It is very difficult for me to say who his competition is. It's whoever the best one of those guys are. Period."
