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.
Neubert continues running rougshod over his colleagues with Pick No. 60.
Draft ticker: Nos. 1-59
Anthony Heygood was a last-minute add-on to Purdue's recruiting class one year, a guy who'd have been at West Virginia, if I recall correctly, had a spot in West Lafayette not come open for him just before signing day.
He signed as a running back and might have had a future there — or at fullback — had an in-season move to linebacker, necessitated by circumstance, not changed the game for him.
Heygood took to the position immediately, with all the physical tools for it plus an ideal demeanor. What he lacked in experience at the position, Purdue's coaches worked to offset quickly, with coordinator Brock Spack working with him individually in-season.
Had Heygood been a linebacker his whole career, the guess here is he'd have left as one of the best Purdue's had, maybe ever. But in half a career he still did enough at the position to be in that conversation, and more importantly to complete for me an outstanding trio of linebackers, nestling between explosive outside 'backers Landon Johnson and Joe Odom.
Love this pick and the big-time value that comes with it. Also, this commercial.
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