Spring break checkup: The defensive line
MORE: Spring Football Central
It all begins up front for any defense. And Purdue's line has shown some potential so far this spring.
The best news: A pass rush has been detected. Too often last season, the Boilermakers had to rely on blitzes to pressure quarterbacks. Defensive coordinator Nick Holt wants to change that. He wants his front four to be able to generate heat, get a push and collapse the pocket.
Holt has had no shortage of bodies to work with this spring. At tackle, line coach Reggie Johnson has been working with Anthony Watts, Giovanni Reviere, Jack Sullivan, Lawrence Johnson, Jeff Marks, Willie Lane and KJ Stokes. (linchpin Lorenzo Neal is out this spring recovering from knee surgery.) The ends: George Karlaftis, Jack Cravaack, Kai Higgins, Branson Deen, Semisi Fakasiieiki and Robert McWilliams.
For most of the spring, the line has had Watts and Rieviere as first-team tackles. Karlaftis has been at an end on the first team along with Kai Higgins. “Leo” Derrick Barnes has yet to practice coming off a hamstring injury but is expected on the field soon.
THE SKINNY: The depth has gotten better, along with the talent. Having Giovanni Rieviere move from end to tackle looks like it will pay off. At 6-5, he is imposing, but the sophomore could stand to bulk up from his listed 270 pounds. He still looks lean.
Anthony Watts, a junior, is an active force. With Lorenzo Neal out, Watts is the best tackle in spring drills. He is a 300-pounder who can muck-up the works and get a push. In the fall, the trio of Neal, Watts and Rieviere should be capable. And sophomore Jeff Marks is improving after being one of just three true freshmen to burn his redshirt last season. The 6-3, 270-pound Marks has looked good.
The big revelation this spring so far: George Karlaftis. The 6-4, 265-pound West Lafayette High School product already has begun to reshape his body. And his work ethic and want-to have stood out, too. Football is important to Karlaftis and it has shown in his hard work in the early goings this spring. Keep an eye on No. 5.
“You can tell he has potential,” said linebacker Markus Bailey. “I didn’t know what he was gonna be like. He had a lot of hype coming in and being from around the area, but he has potential for a bright future. He is very humble and has a great work ethic. He has the tools to be successful. He just has to put it all together.”
Senior Kai Higgins (6-4, 260) has had his moments this spring; the former JC transfer is quick off the edge but isn't overly physical. Redshirt freshman Jack Cravaack also has been working as a hybrid LB/E. Holt likes the athletic ability of the 6-5, 245-pound Cravaack, a prep tight end. Fellow end Robert McWilliams is quick, but the sophomore needs to bulk up his 230-pound frame.
Don't be surprised to see incoming freshmen perhaps carve a niche this fall. Tackle Steven Faucheux and end Dontay Hunter figure to be best equipped to help now. I met Faucheux and his father at a spring practice, and he's every bit the 6-4, 269 pounds listed by rivals. He seems even bigger. Hunter is a pass-rusher deluxe.
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