Bucs guard Ali Marpet has been known by the local media and fans in Tampa Bay as one of the best and consistent offensive linemen the Bucs have had ever since he was selected in the second round out of Hobart College in the 2015 NFL Draft.

But Marpet has not received as much national notoriety despite being one of the best linemen in the NFL, as Marpet has yet be nominated for any Pro Bowl or All-Pro Honors. Marpet did receive some praise recently from someone outside of Tampa Bay, and it was a fascination for the prospect that Marpet was when he was looking to get drafted back in 2015.

It’s not often you’ll hear an NFL general manager give praise to a player that’s not on his own team, but Raiders GM Mike Mayock gave a shout out to Marpet while he appeared on the “Upon Further Review” Podcast, hosted by Eddie Paskal.

NFL Network’s Mike Mayock – Photo by: Scott Reynolds/PR

Mayock is entering his second year as the Raiders general manager, but before that, he was a draft analyst for the NFL Network, so it’s not a surprise that he’s familiar with Marpet’s line or work. Mayock had been in St. Petersburg, Florida this week for the East-West Shrine Bowl, and talked about how he enjoys All-Star game atmospheres like the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl over the NFL combine, because you get to actually see the players play in pads instead of watching them run around and get timed.

Mayock then highlighted Marpet as an example of a benefit to having these types of games, especially with Marpet coming from a small school. While scouting Marpet back in 2015, Mayock was impressed with how a Division III player held up against players from Division I

“A few years ago there was a Division III offensive lineman by the name of Ali Marpet,” Mayock said. “And Ali came in and everybody was… I looked at him in the huddle and he’s looking around at helmets of Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Clemson and here he is, a Division III kid from upstate New York somewhere and we all wondered how he would do. And the kid played his tail off, competed, and that equalized the the level of competition question against this kid. That went away because he competed against the SEC guys like he belonged. He went the second round, he’s been a starter at guard for Tampa Bay ever since. So, I’m a huge fan of the all-star games.”

You can listen to the entire interview with Mayock on the Upon Further Review Podcast here.