Leaving Laird aside, which I assume was an exaggeration, the point stands that if we're honest we're more hopeful about Dalot as our long-term RB than confident, given he wasn't great defensively last year. He could learn those ropes for sure, but as you say he's an exciting prospect who needs to work on his defensive fundamentals not our guaranteed starting RB.
As for Alves, not for me. He's a 36 year old looking for his last payday, I'd prefer a good young player who we could conceivably see tying the position down for the next decade.