Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..
Tonight
Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Marshall offensive lineman Ethan Driskell heads to the sideline during an official review during an NCAA football game against Albany, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington.
Marshall’s Rasheen Ali (22) fights for yardage on a carry during a Sun Belt Conference football game against Arkansas State, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington.
Marshall offensive lineman Ethan Driskell heads to the sideline during an official review during an NCAA football game against Albany, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington.
Marshall’s Rasheen Ali (22) fights for yardage on a carry during a Sun Belt Conference football game against Arkansas State, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington.
HUNTINGTON — An offensive lineman with eye-opening size and length and a dynamic running back who ran behind his blocks had the unique opportunity to walk through the pre-NFL draft process side-by-side.
Ethan Driskell and Rasheen Ali became the first two Marshall teammates to be invited to both the Senior Bowl and NFL scouting combine in the same year. Their path to the draft, they said, was better with company.
“I have loved going through that journey with him,†Ali said. “Both coming from Marshall, just two dudes walking around trying to get respect for our school.â€
“It’s just been neat to have familiar faces around,†Driskell added.
Ali suffered a biceps injury in the week leading up to the Senior Bowl, which prevented him from working out at the combine and Marshall’s pro day. Driskell, standing 6-foot-8 and weighing 313 pounds, played in the Senior Bowl and worked out at the combine but sat out pro day with an undisclosed injury.
But workouts were only part of the pre-draft process. Meeting with teams and interviewing with scouts was the other. The importance of the face-to-face interactions grew considerably for Ali after the injury.
“Everything happens for a reason. My main thing, at least in my eyes for my story, it’s really about getting to know me as a person,†Ali said. “It was big for me to allow people to understand my story and get to know me as a person. I’m a fast learner, can retain information and am detail-oriented. Stuff like that matters.â€
The mission, clearly, for the Herd duo was twofold: represent their alma mater well and increase their draft stock with multiple opportunities to work out in front of NFL scouts in the months leading up to the draft, which was to begin Thursday in Detroit.
“It’s a great feeling to know that the inevitable is coming,†Driskell said of his anticipation for draft day. “It’s definitely exciting and something you’ve worked for your entire life.â€
In three of the past four NFL drafts, a former Marshall football player has heard his name called.
ESPN ranked Ali as the 15th-best running back on the board prior to Thursday’s first round. He’s the highest-graded running back to come out of the Sun Belt Conference in this year’s draft class, one spot ahead of Troy’s Kimani Vidal.
Driskell also got a high grade from ESPN as the No. 24 offensive tackle to enter the draft. His size and speed impressed scouts, and his participation in the Senior Bowl and combine, like Ali, gave him plenty of pre-draft exposure even after sitting out pro day.
Other former Herd standouts who could draw interest in later rounds are offensive guard Dalton Tucker, defensive back Micah Abraham, defensive lineman Owen Porter and linebacker Eli Neal.
The draft’s second and third rounds are slated for Friday beginning at 7 p.m., and the fourth through seventh rounds will be held Saturday beginning at noon.
Luke Creasy is a reporter for HD Media. Follow him on Twitter @LukeCreasy or reach him by phone at 304-526-2800.
