GoldandBlack.com Purdue player draft: No. 27 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. In late July, we'll decide — based on GoldandBlack.com staff and member feedback — which team would win.
Clardie is up with Pick No. 27.
We’ve waited too long, honestly, to take the next-best player if we’re talking true best-player-on-the-team guys.
So the wait ends today: Jimmy Herman is up.
Even though I’ve been really obvious with how much I like Markus Bailey and his ability — well, pretty much everything about him, including the way he works, how he listens, how he approaches the game, his IQ, etc. — Herman makes more sense for me in this draft.
Here’s why: I have Cole Herdman. So in picking Herman, Kyle can’t put potentially the best cover linebacker Purdue has (Herman) on the team’s best tight end (Herdman). Or, for that matter, to cover the team’s best slot receiver (Cameron Posey), whom I also have. I’m assuming Kyle’s going to say he’ll use Danny Ezechukwu against Herdman. Maybe even Posey. I’ll take those matchups over and over and over again.
Yes, Herman scares me a bit because of his injury issues. But he’s also earned benefit of the doubt these last couple years — especially the way he was playing last season — that when he’s healthy, he’s one of the team’s most athletic 'backers and certainly one of its smartest. And, in a new system, intelligence is high on my checklist. Granted, Herman didn’t get to do too much on-the-field work this spring, but Herman is a fifth-year senior who knows how to study, quickly grasps concepts and is good enough to carry them out. No worries about that here.
Now, how about a bit of a spoiler alert? My next pick will be Anthony Mahoungou, unless Kyle decides he values Mahoungou more for his offense than Bailey for his defense.
Draft ticker: 1-25 | 26. Richie Worship
More: Join the conversation & discuss the selections on our premium message board ($) | Purdue lands a running back | Defensive back jumps onboard, too
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