Buccaneers: Predicting The Stars of Hard Knocks

Ali Marpet & Donovan Smith

I know this might be cheating, but oh well. I can’t include Ali Marpet without including Donovan Smith, and can’t include Smith without Marpet. Over the last two seasons this pair of Buccaneer offensive linemen have formed a friendship that has made for several hilarious segments featured on the Buccaneer website. If you haven’t seen them already I recommend venturing over to the Bucs official site and checking them out. Team reporter Casey Philips interviews the two in various locations and it’s well worth your time if you want some laughs.

HBO turns over every stone in their quest for interesting storylines; I expect that they’ll uncover the hilarious dynamic between Marpet and Smith and give it plenty of airtime. There’s a lot to track on the practice field with these two as well. Marpet finds himself transitioning from guard to center, while Smith battles to keep the bust label from looming over his head. The trench battles in general between the Bucs offensive line and defensive line will be very entertaining to watch during practice, particularly Marpet vs McCoy and Smith vs Spence. When these guys get to live hitting, watch out. It will be fun.