GoldandBlack.com Purdue player draft: No. 14 overall
This summer, the Boilermakers are being divided.
Reporters Stacy Clardie and Kyle Charters are going head-to-head in GoldandBlack.com's Purdue player draft, a daily selection in which separate rosters of 25 are being assembled over the next two months. In late July, we'll decide — based on GoldandBlack.com staff and member feedback — which team would win.
Charters is up with the No. 14 pick ...
A few directions I could go with the the 14th pick, all of them on the defensive side.
But my priority has been to solidify the defensive front, the reason why I drafted Jake Replogle and Ja'Whaun Bentley with my first two picks. And it's nice to get back to that, ending that string of offensive linemen and providing a nice distraction from the Elijah Sindelar Saga, which is eating my soul.
I like Evan Panfil in this spot. Although some might consider it a pick or two early, I don't think so and here's why: The 6-foot-5, 278-pounder gives my defense the two best linemen, although it's understandable why Stacy decided to go with tackle Eddy Wilson at 13. She couldn't risk not having him nor Replogle inside and had she not taken him, I would have.
And Panfil gives Stacy something to think about. She doesn't yet have a right tackle, with Matt McCann being the next-best available. But Panfil frequently beat McCann in the spring, using speed to get to the outside, around the corner and into the backfield. I remember one 11-on-11 series in particular, when Panfil raced around the edge to dump the running back, nearly hopping on for a piggy-back ride behind the line of scrimmage. Then on second down, he forced a roll-out and throw away, and caused another incompletion off his pressure on third.
Someone will have to try to slow him down. Is that a priority?
And Panfil, I think, had a great spring, really taking to the coaching of new defensive line coach Randy Melvin. Panfil embraced Melvin's demanding nature, focusing on the details that the new assistant drilled every day. Panfil tried to work on his speed and quickness, and that showed up (like in that previous sequence), rather than simply trying to bullrush every snap. Will that mean more sacks? Maybe. Maybe not. But it might mean more backfield disruption, and that's a positive.
And Panfil's generally been solid against the run, and I need to load up on Markell Jones stoppers.
Draft Ticker: 1-10 | 11. Jason King | 12. Jordan Roos | 13. Eddy Wilson
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