MORE PLAY OR REDSHIRT: Offensive line | Receivers | Running backs | Tight end | Defensive line

This unit has potential, but it also has a lot to prove.

Like every other position on the defense, this one has a new coach: Brad Lambert.

Lambert brings a wealth of experience to West Lafayette, have served as a defensive coordinator at several stops during his career while also being head coach at Charlotte.

Purdue suffered just one loss from its 2020 linebacker unit, but it was a big one: Derrick Barnes, the team leader in tackles last year who was a fourth-round pick of the Lions. He was a heart-and-soul player who spilled his guts on the field.