GoldandBlack.com's 20-year Purdue player draft: Pick No. 5
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 day over the next 10 weeks. Boilermakers who were on the Purdue roster between 1997-2017 are eligible for selection. The draft order is Alan Karpick, Stacy Clardie, Kyle Charters and Brian Neubert.
Karpick's up next.
Protect the quarterback at all costs.
Seems to make sense when that quarterback is Drew Brees, and the lineman that you are selecting is Matt Light. I was extra pleased when my fellow staffers let out a collective sigh when I grabbed Light, as everyone knew he wouldn't last long in this draft. Boy, I am glad there is no snake draft at GoldandBlack.com.
Light, recruited by Jim Colletto, played tight end as a true freshman in Colletto's final season of 1996. When Joe Tiller and staff first took a look at him in the spring practice of 1997, they really liked him at the left tackle position. Tiller, who made brilliant position switches that helped the Boilermakers get off to a lightning fast start under his watch, redshirted Light in 1997, molding him into a three-year starter at the position.
"We always loved his feet," Tiller used to say, talking about Light's ability to be nimble in combat, a great quality for a left tackle. And Light had a nasty streak to him that made him up to just about any challenge.
So I can't think of a better way to build an offensive line, especially with a guy that proved to be an All-Pro caliber at the position in the NFL protecting the likes of quarterback Tom Brady for 11 years.
At Purdue, he helped mold an offensive line that was one of the best, if not the best, in school history. How good was he at protecting Brees' blind side? Well, in the 2000 season, the senior years for both Brees and Light, Brees was sacked just 10 times in a 12-game season. That is a number that while not an official record for the program, probably should be.
Membership Info: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?
Follow GoldandBlack.com: Twitter | Facebook
More: Gold and Black Illustrated/Gold and Black Express | Subscribe to our podcast
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2017. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.