GoldandBlack.com's Purdue player draft: No. 28 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.
And now Charters with Pick No. 28.
Now that Stacy has finally picked a linebacker, I can pick mine.
It's been my plan to wait it out since I picked up Danny Ezechukwu at No. 16, because I viewed the next two up — Jimmy Herman and Markus Bailey — as near equals. And if I took one first, filling up by 'backers in the 4-3, then Stacy could sit on her linebacker picks until the end, likely getting high value selections (probably Herman and Andy Garcia) at 47 and 49. Didn't make sense.
So I waited, and she waited, and Herman fell to No. 27.
Bailey won't wait any longer, because I'm taking him at 28. I'm a little surprised that Stacy didn't take him, because if I'm building a defense, I'm doing so from the inside-out. (Stacy appears to be building her defense by throwing darts. I kid. I kid.)
But Stacy wanted to pick Herman so that I couldn't have him to cover tight end Cole Herdman, who has 18 career receptions. Oh well, I think Bailey can cover — and Ezechukwu, I'm hoping, is improved — and the redshirt freshman has the most upside of anyone on defense.
Bailey just moves like a natural, smoothly getting into his spots more quickly than what is expected. And he's not shy about getting into the mix physically. It'll be interesting to see in the fall — in Purdue's real defense, not our made-up one here — how and how often Bailey is used. I think Purdue really likes him, to the point where I don't think it's unreasonable that he jumps ahead of Ezechukwu as the Boilermakers' weakside starter. But maybe that's asking too much. Will be interesting to watch.
Draft ticker: 1-25 | 26. Richie Worship | 27. Jimmy Herman
More: Join the conversation & discuss the selections on our premium message board ($) | Coach: DB commitment 'affects game' with speed ($) | OL commits
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