GoldandBlack.com Purdue player draft: No. 32 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.
Charters continues the week at No. 32.
Had to figure that Stacy was going to take Austin Larkin at No. 31 on Monday, because the defensive end was one of the few remaining starter-caliber players for 2016.
But had she not — and maybe taken Anthony Mahoungou instead — then I was definitely going with Larkin, would have put him at end, then moved Gelen Robinson, or maybe Evan Panfil, inside to give me a pretty solid front four. But Stacy made a wise move.
Where to go from here?
Well, I need to do something about the secondary, which I haven't made a big priority. The problem is after the four previously selected — and especially the top three of Da'Wan Hunte, Leroy Clark and Brandon Roberts — it becomes a little bit (a lot bit) difficult to sort out who is next. And the freshmen, who are available in our draft, add in a new layer, because it's reasonable to think that at least one of them will factor heavily into the secondary in '16.
But I'll go with one of the known products, rather than the unknown, and take sophomore Tim Cason. The ultra-confident 5-foot-11, 195-pound cornerback had a hot start to the spring, making many feel like perhaps he could lock up a spot, opposite Hunte, early. But it didn't last, with Cason cooling down the stretch, in particular struggling in deep one-on-one coverage.
But Purdue didn't always help him. With new defensive coordinator Ross Els looking to put his secondary in difficult positions — he was trying to find the limits of their ability — it's possible that we simply started to see Cason's weaknesses overshadow his strengths. And that can make for a cloudy evaluation. This fall, it's unlikely — you'd hope — that Purdue will put its DBs in such precarious positions.
But I'll take the Cason I saw early and plug him into the secondary.
Now, who's next? I have no idea.
Draft ticker: 1-30 | 31. Austin Larkin
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