Leading into August’s training camp, GoldandBlack.com is breaking down Purdue position by position. We start the week with a closer look at the defensive line.
Purdue has pieces to build around on its defensive line.
It just wants — and needs — more.
Depth is severely limited, especially on the interior, where the Boilermakers feature senior Jake Replogle, a potential All-Big Ten team member, and sophomore Eddy Wilson, but little else.
Reserves are going to need to be developed during training camp.
“If you can do something to help us win or you can get out there and not cause us to lose, then you can play,” D-line coach Randy Melvin said in mid-June. “You can help us. You’ll have a role. Then, if they have roles, they’ll be more in tune. And that will help Jake. He’s going to play hard. We’ve got to have somebody dependable go in and some of that off of him. That’s the reality.”
But Replogle is going to play a lot, not that that’s a bad thing. The 6-foot-5, 294-pound three-technique is a marquee player for the Boilermakers — and maybe the league — in large part because of his motor. Last season, he totaled 60 tackles, 14 of them for loss, with a couple of sacks, workmanlike productivity for a workmanlike player.
“I’d be shocked if he’s not one of the best 10 guys in the country at his position,” Coach Darrell Hazell said. “I’d be shocked. What makes him great? Other than his work habits, he has a relentless motor. He’s got great awareness on where the football is. He’s got unbelievable leverage that he uses. And just has a knack of disengaging from the blocker at the right time.”
But he could see a boost, particularly if Randy Melvin’s emphasis on getting after the quarterback, not just with Replogle but with his entire personnel, pays off. Replogle’s two sacks in ‘15 came against Iowa, on consecutive third-down plays in the third quarter, but there were other times he could get hits on quarterbacks. If he could only get there a half-step sooner.
“I think Coach Melvin has done a good job having me get down three or four basic moves and then having counters off that,” Replogle said. “I did a good job last year. I was proud of my ability to be able to affect the quarterback and this year, hopefully it’s even improved.”
It might depend on how often Replogle can break away from double-teams, or avoid them altogether. But to do that, he’ll need assistance on the line.
Wilson, who played sparingly as a true freshman last season, got nearly all the first-team repetitions in the spring, as Ra’Zahn Howard was suspended from the Boilermakers. And now with Howard off to the NFL — he signed in Houston after not being picked in last week’s supplement draft — Wilson again should have the majority of No. 1 repetitions in training camp.
Perhaps one could argue Wilson’s there by default, but he has skills that warrant a top-line job, particularly his quickness and athleticism at 6-4, 306 pounds.
But there are serious questions about who will spell the duo. In the spring, it was senior Langston Newton behind Replogle and sophomore Keiwan Jones, who is coming off an ACL injury, and walk-on Ryan DeBusk backing up Wilson.
But none stepped up as a sure-fire reserve.
It’s not unreasonable to think that a freshman could play, and Purdue brought in three with that in mind. Lorenzo Neal might be the most physically ready, considering the 6-2 rookie arrived at Purdue at nearly 350 pounds. But Anthony Watts and Alex Criddle are near-300-pounders, also.
“Fortunately, we have three really big dudes coming in in this class, so we’ll see who can play there,” defensive coordinator Ross Els said. “Not that the guys behind Jake and Eddy (now) can’t play, but there’s going to be some good competition for some playing time behind those guys.”
Purdue feels a little better about its depth on the outside.
Maybe.
There, the Boilermakers have Evan Panfil, an established starter at one end although a veteran who sees significant room for improvement. And Austin Larkin, a J.C. newcomer, and Gelen Robinson battling to be the starter at the other. As part of Melvin’s ranking system — all plays, assignments, etc., were scored in the spring, with those with the most points being on the first team — Larkin had edged Robinson in April.
But that’s far from settled. Robinson continues to have a ton of upside, if only he could constantly realize the amount of effort needed to affect plays snap after snap. Larkin, who was at Purdue in the spring, seems to play with an extra edge, but is limited in experience, having played only a semester at City College of San Francisco as a D-end.
Perhaps Antoine Miles, who started at the beginning of last season, can make a move, but he’d have to be more focused on assignments rather than athleticism. Or maybe Shayne Henley, who backs up Panfil, can get more chances there.
“There are a bunch of D-ends who have a shot at that other spot,” Els said of the position opposite Panfil. “They have to be able to do both. On third-and-long, we’ll sub pass-rush guys in, but on first down and second- and third-and-third, we’ve got to have a guy who can put a rush on the quarterback but also be able to play the run. And we need to have guys who are really, really disciplined in there to play both.”
Panfil seems secure in his position. Although the 6-5, 268-pounder has not been the pass rusher that he, nor others, have desired — he had a career-high four sacks as a junior — he generally plays fundamentally sound. And he thinks he can make improvements in his rush, particularly under the guidance of Melvin. The two seemed to develop a connection in the spring, one that might help Panfil develop more productivity.
“It was a big emphasis on his part, tremendously this spring,” Panfil said. “I’ve had a tendency to try to be a power rusher, which I’m not. I know that’s one of my flaws and I’ve really been trying to work on it. But he just helped me to try to work edges more and try to use my speed, the speed that I have, and do that to the best of my ability. Because I’m not bigger than the guys I’m going up against and I shouldn’t get into personal battles with them, like I have in the past.
“He was really stern when talking about pass rush, just stern about what you did wrong and try to critique you. He’d give really good teaching points and they kind of stuck with some guys I think and definitely stuck with me.”
Purdue needs its front to be good, probably better than that, especially in Els’ defensive scheme. With the Boilermakers playing pass-first at linebacker and in the secondary (of course), there might be added pressure on the front to stop the run. And it’ll need to do so while still being better at affecting the quarterback, a year after Purdue ranked 11th in the Big Ten in sacks.
“Any of the front four is fine,” Els said, when asked where the pressure should come from. “And sometimes we’ll game it up with those guys inside to give them a little bit of movement, but when (opponents) start putting in run/passing situations, you’re not going to put a game on. We need to push the pocket and start collapsing that thing to the quarterback. He’s got to be uncomfortable when he sits back there, he just has to be.”
Countdown to Camp series (offense): Quarterbacks | Receivers | Running backs
Countdown to Camp series (defense): Linebackers | Secondary
More: 2016 football primer
