INDIANPOLIS -- Sometimes the best stories come from the strangest places. Ali Marpet, a 307-pound offensive lineman from tiny Hobart and Williams Smith Colleges, set the combine on fire Friday by running the fastest 40 time for any offensive lineman.
Marpet cooked up a scorching 4.98 (the same as my time!) official time, the only lineman to go under five seconds.
Marpet has known he's fast for a while -- as a junior at Hobart, he tested some NFL combine drills and torched his 40 time then too.
"I ran the 40 for them, I took the Wonderlic and they measured me, and I discovered that I had the same physical tools as some of the other offensive linemen," Marpet said. "So I said, 'Why not me?' I ran a sub-5 40 at 300 pounds, and I thought, 'I can play football.' I could play. It didn't matter."
Marpet wasn't just a star on the field, though. He crushed his interview portion as well, talking repeatedly about his passion for eating.
"It's a job. It's something I take really seriously," Marpet said. "I know there are some guys down here who have to stay away from the desserts, but I don't have to worry about that -- I'm the opposite way. I was just pounding pasta a little while ago, before I got up here."
You and me both, brother.
