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Boilermakers impress scouts at Purdue's pro day

The Boilermakers want to extend their streak.

Purdue has had a player drafted 18 consecutive years, the last being Ryan Russell in the fifth round in 2015.

Maybe cornerback Anthony Brown has the best shot at the draft, April 28-30 in Chicago, with a résumé boosted by his NFL Combine performance last month. He and 13 other former Boilermakers took another opportunity to improve stock at Purdue’s pro day on Wednesday, showing off their skills in front of scouts from 23 NFL and two CFL teams.

“This year will be 19 (straight years),” cornerback Frankie Williams said. “I guarantee one of us will get drafted, not sure who it is. Hopefully it is all of us. But somebody will get drafted – we take a lot of pride in it – but bottom line, we’re going to be on a roster. We’ll get the job done.”

Following, we take a look at Brown and Williams, plus Danny Anthrop and Robert Kugler, perhaps the four most likely to keep the streak alive.

Danny Anthrop

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Danny Anthrop had read scouting reports – and heard from people – that thought the former Purdue wide receiver would run as slow as a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash Wednesday.

Perhaps the reasoning was sound; Anthrop hadn’t gotten to show off his speed during his senior season last year, after having torn his right ACL in 2014.

But the 6-foot, 193-pounder is healthy now and he showed so Wednesday, running a 4.40 in the 40 – some scouts had him closer to 4.37 – a time that would have put him second among wide receivers at the Combine.

“I’ve had a lot of people come up and say I helped myself today,” Anthrop said afterward.

Indeed.

Anthrop admitted to struggling to sleep Tuesday night, knowing that a lot was riding on his performance. As a senior, he never displayed his full ability, first dealing with soreness from the knee, then bursitis. He finished with a team-high 57 catches but for 430 yards, a 7.5 average that was a clear indication that he didn’t have his normal burst. In 2014, he averaged 16.2 yards per reception, before injury midway through the season.

Anthrop ran through all of Wednesday’s drills, the bench, 40, L-cone, 3-cone, etc., and position drills, catching passes from former Central Catholic teammate Chris Mills, who played QB at UIndy. He also fielded kicks and punts.

“I felt great, being healthy for the first time since the end of the season,” Anthrop said. “It was nice to be out there and show what I can do when I’m at full health.

“I ran all my routes from the right side, so every time I cut I was planting on my right knee. I think that showed that I was healthy. I didn’t think about it one time today.”

Anthrop has had a good couple months. He credited his agent with getting him into the Shrine game - “I probably had no business being in that game, looking at stats,” he said – and had a great week there. In the game, he had a 93-yard touchdown reception, part of a five-catch, 120-yard day.

“I went out there and kind of capitalized on that,” he said. “I remember going into that game talking to different coaches, (and) they said, ‘We need you to break one off long and run away from people,’ and I laughed at it because you never know what kind of opportunity you’re going to get in a game, but I was fortunate to have that happen.”

Now, Anthrop waits to see who might be interested in having him in for an individual workout. After the pro day, two Colts scouts talked extensively with the West Lafayette native, perhaps hoping that Anthrop will stay close to home if he goes undrafted.

But maybe Anthrop has done enough to squeak into a late round.

“The feedback has been great, especially today,” he said. “I talked to a bunch of people. If I get drafted – if I don’t get drafted – it doesn’t really matter to me. All I can ask for is the opportunity and go out there and see what I can do.”

Frankie Williams

Frankie Williams runs through a drill at Purdue's pro day, which was attended by scouts from 23 NFL teams.
Frankie Williams runs through a drill at Purdue's pro day, which was attended by scouts from 23 NFL teams. (GoldanBlack.com)

Frankie Williams wanted to measure out as best he could on Wednesday – and he felt he did a good job – but ultimately he envisions himself a player who can perform on the field.

And he’s proven that over his four years as a Boilermaker.

“You’ve got all these times, all these things,” Williams said, “but bottom line is if you can’t play football, you’re not going to make it. And I’m a football player.”

Williams had a solid career at Purdue, garnering All-Big Ten recognition and collecting 10 picks, tied for ninth all-time in program history.

But he tested well too, he thought, surprising himself on the bench press, with 19 reps of 225 pounds, while also running around a 4.48 in the 40.

“My (position) drills were pretty good,” he said. “Hopefully my 10 interceptions make up for those two drops. It was uncharacteristic, but other than that I feel good.

“(This) was just another step. I have four years of film. At the end of the day, my numbers line up with the best, so I’m not worried about anything. I put my best foot forward here and see how it goes.”

Williams had an opportunity to get in front of scouts at the NFLPA Bowl earlier this year – he played safety there, not corner - but Wednesday was his first chance to test after he wasn’t invited to the Combine in February.

But he wasn’t putting too much pressure on the day.

“I had no problems sleeping at all,” he said. “I worked hard. I was ready to go about three weeks ago. It was just being repetitive, getting my feet down, and I felt good today all day.

“It’s definitely comfortable (here), because this is where I’ve been training the last three weeks. I got to practice where I’m going to run my 40 at, get in the weight room (t0) see how everything is going to be set up, see the schedule. Everything was real smooth for me.”

Williams already has a couple workouts lined up, with Detroit and Tampa Bay, and he hopes the pro day can lead to more.

Anthony Brown thinks he will get them.

“Frankie is at the top with all of us who were at the Combine,” Brown said. “With us not winning too many games, they aren’t going to invite many of us to the Combine, but we have a date out here to show what we can do, and Frankie really did what he was supposed to do today.”

Anthony Brown

Anthony Brown was mostly a spectator at pro day.

There was no need for him to test after what he did at the Combine: Ran a 4.35 officially, second-best among corners, benched 19 reps, also second-best, and was fifth in the 60-yard shuttle.

So Brown did only the defensive back drills on Wednesday.

“I sat down with my agent and he talked to me about it,” Brown said. “He said I pretty much hit all the checkpoints at the Combine so to just come out here and dominate in the drills and take it from there.

“I’m just showing that my fundamentals are down and I have good ball skills, catching the ball. Quick feet. … I felt I did a good job today. A scout came and told me I did good, just told me to keep working.”

Brown’s likely upped his stock significantly since the end of the season, when he was honorable mention All-Big Ten after having four interceptions.

He’s fast, big enough and physical – perhaps too physical – tools that should serve him well in the NFL.

“Tremendous,” Williams said of how Brown has performed. “There aren’t too many people who can run a 4.3. That’s a big thing at the next level. He had outstanding numbers; he was top-10. That’s a top-10 corner and 30 corners get drafted, so I think he did well; hopefully he will get his name called the first couple days.”

Like Williams, Brown has workouts with the Lions and Bucs, and more could come.

After that, he doesn’t know what will happen. Scouts haven’t given him a lot of feedback.

“They say good job, keeping working,” he said. “They keep it short and simple. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing. I guess we’ll find out.”

Robert Kugler

Robert Kugler has sought out advice from his dad frequently, hoping Sean Kugler – the head coach at UTEP and a long-time NFL assistant – can give him pointers about what to expect in this process.

“I get a lot of feedback from (him) and a lot of these (scouts) know my dad so they feel pretty comfortable when they come and talk to me,” said Robert Kugler, a center, “which isn’t going to hurt anything. I don’t think it’s going to help in the end. In the large scheme of things, I’m not going to have a leg up or anything, but you have a little familiarity, which is nice.”

Wednesday was a big day for Kugler. The durable offensive lineman – he started 43 consecutive games at Purdue – had a hamstring injury on the first day of practice at the Shrine game, forcing him to sit the rest of the week.

“It was frustrating,” he said. “I thought I could have gone out there and elevated my stock, but in the end I have a lot of film to fall back on, so I was happy. I wanted to play, but it wasn’t the end of the world.”

Kugler is a realist, understanding that the 40 isn’t his best event – he joked his slow time (and he didn’t even know what it was) was a reason why he switched from tight end as a freshman – but knowing there were other areas to excel.

He hit 27 on the bench press, one short of his goal. And he showed mobility for scouts in his position drills.

“I felt like they probably didn’t think I was as strong as I (am),” he said. “I wanted to do more but I benched decent. Moving around, there’s certain things that I’m told that I don’t do well that I tried to show that I do.”

Kugler’s looking for an opportunity, and he thinks he can get into a training camp.

“Late-to-undrafted, that’s kind of what I’m getting feedback-wise,” he said. “And (it’s) what I think and what my dad thinks, so I’ll be at home watching (the draft) with my parents and family and just chilling.”

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