GoldandBlack.com's Purdue player draft: No. 11 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.
Clardie is up at No. 11, and she chooses ...
Bit surprised Kyle didn’t swipe Elijah Sindelar from me with his last pick — I was forcing his hand to do it, I thought, and then would just take every possible O-lineman who is starter quality and leave his two quarterbacks without anyone to block. So even though I wouldn’t have a player likely capable of much in a college offense taking snaps in the shotgun, his QBs wouldn’t be capable of much either without folks in front of them. Kinda seemed like a wash.
But Kyle didn’t bite — didn’t go with a guy this high who won’t play for him. He may have missed an opportunity. But he’ll still have another chance. Because I’m not taking Sindelar here either.
Maybe I should.
But, again, my early theory still holds: I’m loading up with the big guys up front to block in case I don’t get a QB.
It’s honestly kind of odd that the fourth O-lineman taken in this draft — the one I’m grabbing right now — is the best one: Jason King. He just happens to be a guard. A really, really good guard. But a guard. So, positionally for our purposes here, not as important as a center or a left tackle. That’s why he didn’t go higher, I think.
King’s the obvious choice for this pick because if I don’t take him, Kyle will. And King’s the most experienced, most talented and most productive out of the group Purdue has. Shoot, he may even be an NFL-type guy. He’s stout, he’s smart, he’s physical and he has a nastiness to him that’s so crucial in a lineman.
And also? I desperately needed him so my team stands a chance at blocking Jake Replogle, Kyle’s first pick and Purdue’s best player. I feel much better now about being able to do that with King and Barron. Much as what will happen in real life this year with Replogle, he’s going to get a steady dose of double teams. My team will take its chances one-on-one with whomever else Kyle ends up with on the defensive front.
Kyle has no choice but to take Jordan Roos on Tuesday, and my next pick is going to be pivotal. It has to be Sindelar, right?
Draft Ticker: 1-10
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