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Purdue looks to start a new streak this year when the NFL draft begins on Thursday and runs through Saturday.

Last year, Purdue saw its run of having at least one player selected in the NFL draft end after 21 years. It was a streak that dated to 1998.

The Purdue players with the best shots to get selected are tight end Brycen Hopkins and linebacker Markus Bailey. Neither projects to be picked tonight, when the first round takes place. But both likely will hear their names called on Friday (Rounds 2-3) or Saturday (Rounds 4-7) during a draft that originally was slated to take place in Las Vegas but now will be conducted virtually because of the pandemic. Offensive lineman Matt McCann also hopes to be picked, but he likely will be a free-agent. Defensive lineman Kai Higgins and safety Navon Mosley also have been training for the draft.

Hopkins should be the first Boilermaker off the board. The 6-5, 245-pound Nashville native and son of former NFL offensive tackle Brad was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten pick in 2019 as a fifth-year senior. He went out with a bang, finishing the season with 61 catches for 830 yards and seven TDs. Those totals led all Big Ten tight ends and helped him earn Big Ten Tight End of The Year honors. Hopkins left campus as an all-time great tight end with 130 career catches for 1,945 yards and 16 TDs.

Bailey's final season didn't go as planned. As a fifth-year senior and co-captain, he saw his last campaign in West Lafayette ended by a right knee injury suffered in practice after the second game of the year. This after he sustained a left knee injury his freshman season at Purdue in 2015. He also had offseason hip surgery in 2019.

Purdue's draft run started when the Giants selected receiver Brian Alford in the third round with the 70th pick of the 1998 NFL draft. The streak marched on to the 2018 draft, when linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley was selected in the fifth round with the 143rd pick by the Patriots.

Quarterback David Blough and safety Jacob Thieneman were Purdue's best hopes to be picked in 2019, but each had to settle for being a free agent. And each made a team, Blough the Lions and Thieneman the 49ers.

In the 21 drafts from 1998-2018, Purdue had 48 picks. Among those have been three first-round selections:

2007: DE Anthony Spencer, Cowboys

2008: TE Dustin Keller, Jets

2011: DE Ryan Kerrigan, Redskins

Since the Purdue streak began, Kerrigan has been the highest pick, going 16th overall nine years ago.

The draft that produced the most picks for Purdue since 1998 occurred in 2004. That year, the Boilermakers had nine selections. The Boilermakers had four third-round picks: C Nick Hardwick; S Stuart Schweigert; LB Gilbert Gardner; LB Landon Johnson. DE Shaun Phillips and LB Niko Koutouvides went in the fourth round. OT Kelly Butler and DT Craig Terrell were selected in the sixth round. CB Jacques Reeves was picked in the seventh round.

Nine times, Purdue barely kept its NFL draft streak alive when it had just one selection: 2018; 2017; 2016; 2015; 2013; 2011; 2010; 2005; 2003.

Here is a look at the 48 Purdue NFL draft picks since 1998.

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