GoldandBlack.com's Purdue player draft: No. 26 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.
We're starting the second half of the draft Monday, and Charters is up with No. 26.
As we start the second half of our draft, let's take a look back at the end of the first.
I understand Stacy's want to fill out the secondary — or at least try to get an edge there — but to me, the rest of those guys are about the same: total unknowns. Is Tim Cason better than Kamal Hardy? Maybe. Better than Brandon Shuman? Perhaps. Or maybe not.
Stacy thinks Robert Gregory is a cut above the rest of the unknowns. Could be. The senior has at least played, getting starts in the first nine games last season before being benched. To me, the safety is still a mystery. We know what Purdue wants him to be, a big hitter who can drop into the box to smack somebody. But it's not yet materialized. Maybe it will with a new position coach and defensive coordinator. We'll see.
Stacy could have taken a linebacker, but she's waiting on me to take one first. The problem is that there is zero reason for me to do so; I have two — the best two — and would be happy with either Markus Bailey or Jimmy Herman to fill out my 4-3. We've reached a stalemate there. Who will balk first?
Not me today.
I want to solidify my running game, so am taking Richie Worship to be my lead back. Although he's only a redshirt freshman, the big back has shown a lot of ability in a short time, particularly in the spring when he took a good step forward. Before D.J. Knox's injury, Purdue seemed to want to use the 6-foot-1, 252-pounder — this is his official listing, though there's been talk of Worship having lost 20 pounds during the offseason — as a hybrid, a fullback/H-back/running back. Now, though, he'll get the ball more often. Not a bad thing. During the spring, he showed some uncommon burst between the tackles, using his size for power but also having some extra agility for a man his size.
And he looks like a good receiver out of the backfield, meaning he could be the kind of dual-threat that Markell Jones and Knox are.
Perhaps there are some who think I don't need to make this pick now, considering Stacy snatched up Jones early in the draft. But she's looking at offensive flexibility and Worship would be a good swing back, able to line up in several different areas, in an I-formation, as a motion back, maybe even as a second tight end. I don't want her to have that option.
But for me, Worship is going to be handed the ball a lot.
Draft ticker: 1-25
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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