Topic: What's everyone's opinion on Ali's future

[bbcard1]

The big issue I think for Ali in terms of weighing his NFL future besides his injuries is the devaluation of the running back position in the NFL.

At the same time, the RB position is still at a premium at most colleges. I think you will see a lot of RBs sign NIL deals in the coming years if they are not a lock for the first round or two...and NFL teams are not drafting RBs in the first couple of rounds very often anymore.

[elginherd]

I don't see a future for Ali in the NFL.  If he hopes to play in the NFL then his best shot is to stay at MU where he is guaranteed to be the feature RB and complete his college eligibility.  If he is only looking at the money then he may be able to get enough money from an NIL deal over and above what he is getting at Marshall to take the gamble and transfer.

If he is to have a future in the NFL, he has to limit his usage at the college level. I he has his degree, he needs to try to make a NFL team.

[Herd72]

I think he could have gone fairly high in the draft, had he not gotten injured and missed a year essentially. How good could he have been? We will never know. I see him playing beyond college but in something like the CFL or in Europe. I would hope he could catch on with an NFL team but they might consider him injury prone or damaged goods. My all time favorite back at Marshall that many of you probably never heard of was Ron Lear until an unfortunate injury sidelined him permanently. He had tremendous potential.

[The Right Stuff]

The "Lear Jet"  Man he could run behind one the worse lines in college football

TRS
MU71

[Thundering In MD]

I think he should stick with Huff as long as he can, whether that's here or at Huff's next stop (maybe Duke).

If he declares, I fear he will have a similar fate as Darius Marshall.

Ali has been a good back here.  He will go down as a solid back.  He has yet to surpass Chris Parker, Bradshaw or Chapman IMO.

Best of luck to him.

[HoPPy785]

Nearly a year off and playing at a G5 school are two things that will hurt his stock. If I was advising him, I'd have him transfer to a major P5 that all but guarantees the starting role. Collect the NIL. Run your butt off for a season and hope for better draft potential. As it is right now, he won't be drafted unless he has eye popping combine numbers. I do think he will make it in UFA but sticking on a roster will be an uphill battle.

[jdonaccbus]

Smoke Jones just hit the portal.

[BigJimslade]

Here is why he will not make it in NFL.
Lack of toughness and there are roughly 70-80 other NCAA RBs just as capable as he is
Maybe more

[Herdalum83]

Here is why he will not make it in NFL.
Lack of toughness and there are roughly 70-80 other NCAA RBs just as capable as he is
Maybe more

You are crazy if you think there are 70 or 80 backs in college football better than Ali. I also think it's insane to question his toughness. You don't know what kind of injuries he's dealt with this year, you don't like him for whatever reason, that's fine.

But, the kid is a SPECIAL back. What he did this year, behind this awful offensive line of ours was, to me, even more impressive than his freshman season. Ali will have a 5+ year career in the NFL assuming he stays healthy. Mark that down.

[Johnnyherd]

Ali is our best player by far of the entire program, but he isn't a 1st day draft pick.  I have seen projections of 7th round or free agent and I have seen him listed as the 20th best RB entering the draft.

I think he gets a shot at showing what he can do in the NFL, it's up to him, whether he has a career or not.

[herdorbust2]

If Laborn didn't make it I don't see Ali making it. Laborn was getting rave reviews from San Fran media. I still think Laborn has more quicks laterally and stop and go.

[MicDrass1]

Our OL stunk this year

[Herdalum83]

Ali is our best player by far of the entire program, but he isn't a 1st day draft pick.  I have seen projections of 7th round or free agent and I have seen him listed as the 20th best RB entering the draft.

I think he gets a shot at showing what he can do in the NFL, it's up to him, whether he has a career or not.

Very few RBs are 1st-day draft picks in the current NFL. It's just not a positon that has the same value it used to have. The backs with the most value are backs that are versatile and can do other things besides run the ball. Ali can be a very effective pass catcher, what we haven't seen much of, because that role has been filled by Payne is how he does blocking and picking up blitzes.

Versatility is the name of the game for an NFL running back in 2023 and beyond.

[elginherd]

Very few RBs are 1st-day draft picks in the current NFL. It's just not a positon that has the same value it used to have. The backs with the most value are backs that are versatile and can do other things besides run the ball. Ali can be a very effective pass catcher, what we haven't seen much of, because that role has been filled by Payne is how he does blocking and picking up blitzes.

Versatility is the name of the game for an NFL running back in 2023 and beyond.

For low round and FAs, being able to play on special teams is very important. Can Ali be effective on the punt units?

[BigJimslade]

For low round and FAs, being able to play on special teams is very important. Can Ali be effective on the punt units?

No, not nearly tough enough
Too fragile

[goherd24]

You are crazy if you think there are 70 or 80 backs in college football better than Ali. I also think it's insane to question his toughness. You don't know what kind of injuries he's dealt with this year, you don't like him for whatever reason, that's fine.

But, the kid is a SPECIAL back. What he did this year, behind this awful offensive line of ours was, to me, even more impressive than his freshman season. Ali will have a 5+ year career in the NFL assuming he stays healthy. Mark that down.

I'd have to take that bet. Laborn was better and couldn't make it. Ali isn't gonna be a 5 year back. He'll be a late round flyer or UDFA and we'll never see him on the field in a regular season game. He is a solid RB, but he is not enough of a difference maker in college that can make it at the next level.

[Herdalum83]

I'd have to take that bet. Laborn was better and couldn't make it. Ali isn't gonna be a 5 year back. He'll be a late round flyer or UDFA and we'll never see him on the field in a regular season game. He is a solid RB, but he is not enough of a difference maker in college that can make it at the next level.

Labron was never better than Ali.. A couple of people have inferred this, this season because Ali hasn't been as consistently dominant as he was his Freshman year. And then a couple of more people have outright stated it like you. But I do not agree. Ali is the better back and it's honestly not even close.

Just go back and look at the last 3 games of the season where they both played behind the same Oline. Ali outplayed Laborn while being rusty and not 100% healthy.  What I would have given to see a full season of those two guys fully healthy playing together though. That would have been special.

Ali didn't even play a full season this year, missing the JMU game entirely and half of a couple of other games behind what was one of the worst offensive lines in all of college football and one of the worst we have had here in the last 25 or 30 years and still put up 1000 yards and 14 TDs.

Even with a much better line to run behind in 2022 Laborn's numbers aren't truly that much better than Ali's this year. Laborn ran for 1,513 yards on 302 carries and 16 TDs. That's 99 more carries than Ali got this year.

Yet, Ali this year with 99 fewer carries and a worse Oline put up nearly as many TDs (14) and averaged slightly more yards per carry at 5.1 vs Laborn's 5 ypc a season ago. Meaning Ali with 302 carries this year probably exceeds Laborn's production from a year ago behind a WORSE Oline.

I can't stress that part enough, this Oline was really bad. And we haven't even gotten into the fact that we had a non-existent passing threat this season meaning every defense we faced game-planned for doing nothing else but shutting down #22. He faced loaded boxes with 8-10 guys in them all season and still did what he did.

Laborn would not have had those kinds of numbers here this season. And I'm not knocking Laborn. I loved him and we have a disastrous season without him last year and we never beat Notre Dame without him. But Laborn's big run against the Irish that was his biggest highlight of the season is a TD if it was Ali.

Ali is also a much better receiver out of the backfield than Laborn and has the ability to line up out wide and take advantage of mismatches with linebackers in the passing game. We simply didn't use Ali correctly a lot of the times like we did with pretty much everyone on the offensive side of the ball and a big part of those issues were created by the OC trying to mask just how bad the Oline was.

I don't care where Ali gets drafted. Not claiming he'll go high, because I don't think he will either. But, if he is healthy, he will make an NFL roster. I would bet money on that 100%.

[DC01HERD]

Ali has a chance to stick in the NFL. Stay healthy and he has a shot.

[Flat Tire 2]

I have no dog in the Ali vs Laborn comparison. I will say it was interesting that Laborn was very highly recruited out of high school and signed with FSU, Ali was under the radar. I don't think either one was a great deal better than the other so I would surprised if Ali makes in the NFL. We have had some good RB  at MU (Chapman and Parker but they didn't have much of a NFL careers), but Bradshaw was the only to play a lot in the NFL.

[goherd24]

Labron was never better than Ali.. A couple of people have inferred this, this season because Ali hasn't been as consistently dominant as he was his Freshman year. And then a couple of more people have outright stated it like you. But I do not agree. Ali is the better back and it's honestly not even close.

Just go back and look at the last 3 games of the season where they both played behind the same Oline. Ali outplayed Laborn while being rusty and not 100% healthy.  What I would have given to see a full season of those two guys fully healthy playing together though. That would have been special.

Ali didn't even play a full season this year, missing the JMU game entirely and half of a couple of other games behind what was one of the worst offensive lines in all of college football and one of the worst we have had here in the last 25 or 30 years and still put up 1000 yards and 14 TDs.

Even with a much better line to run behind in 2022 Laborn's numbers aren't truly that much better than Ali's this year. Laborn ran for 1,513 yards on 302 carries and 16 TDs. That's 99 more carries than Ali got this year.

Yet, Ali this year with 99 fewer carries and a worse Oline put up nearly as many TDs (14) and averaged slightly more yards per carry at 5.1 vs Laborn's 5 ypc a season ago. Meaning Ali with 302 carries this year probably exceeds Laborn's production from a year ago behind a WORSE Oline.

I can't stress that part enough, this Oline was really bad. And we haven't even gotten into the fact that we had a non-existent passing threat this season meaning every defense we faced game-planned for doing nothing else but shutting down #22. He faced loaded boxes with 8-10 guys in them all season and still did what he did.

Laborn would not have had those kinds of numbers here this season. And I'm not knocking Laborn. I loved him and we have a disastrous season without him last year and we never beat Notre Dame without him. But Laborn's big run against the Irish that was his biggest highlight of the season is a TD if it was Ali.

Ali is also a much better receiver out of the backfield than Laborn and has the ability to line up out wide and take advantage of mismatches with linebackers in the passing game. We simply didn't use Ali correctly a lot of the times like we did with pretty much everyone on the offensive side of the ball and a big part of those issues were created by the OC trying to mask just how bad the Oline was.

I don't care where Ali gets drafted. Not claiming he'll go high, because I don't think he will either. But, if he is healthy, he will make an NFL roster. I would bet money on that 100%.

$100 bet if you want it. He will not make a 53 man roster. Laborn was better. Not a great deal, but slightly. Ali isn't quick enough and too slow for the NFL.

[Herdalum83]

$100 bet if you want it. He will not make a 53 man roster. Laborn was better. Not a great deal, but slightly. Ali isn't quick enough and too slow for the NFL.

Laborn was not better.. At all.

I'll take that $100 bet. If Ali stays healthy he will be on a 53 man roster!

[goherd24]

Laborn was not better.. At all.

I'll take that $100 bet. If Ali stays healthy he will be on a 53 man roster!

You got it brother. at least will make the draft and preseason fun

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