GoldandBlack.com's 20-year Purdue player draft: Pick No. 38
To help commemorate the 20-year anniversary of Purdue's magical turnaround 1997 season, GoldandBlack.com's staff will break up the rosters and select the best players to wear a Boilermaker uniform since Coach Joe Tiller's first season on the sidelines.
GoldandBlack.com's 20-year Purdue player draft will have 100 players chosen — two picks each weekday over 10 weeks. Boilermakers who were on Purdue rosters between 1997-2017 are eligible for selection. The draft order is Alan Karpick, Stacy Clardie, Kyle Charters and Brian Neubert.
Clardie's next pick is ...
Draft ticker: No. 1-37
Honestly, couldn't decide where to go with this selection. Should I keep my roll going on defense and finish off my line or add another linebacker with that position group getting potentially thin soon? Should I go with a playmaking tight end (Tim Stratton)? Or take my running back before Kyle can get the one I want (not saying)? Or grab another receiver to help level me out there with Chris Daniels, Keith Smith and Greg Orton still available?
Ultimately, I opted not to do any of those things and instead go with what may be another one of those outside-the-box selections. Folks could argue there are better O-linemen still on the board. I hear you. It’s probably accurate.
Ultimately, here are the reasons my first offensive lineman is guard Jordan Grimes: I liked his physical style of play, as I prefer nasty dudes up front; he was two-time All-Big selection, so there’s “production” there; he was incredibly durable, starting 36 consecutive games until an ankle injury kept him out of the final three of his career. To play on the O-line as a true freshman can say a lot about a dude — him being physically and mentally prepared, at least — and Grimes is the rare player who did that in 2004, even starting in the Sun Bowl.
He was an intelligent guy who was incredibly strong from Day 1, and though his career may not have ended like he would have hoped, he certainly had a solid one.
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