With NFL draft kicking off on Thursday, let's take a look at the 10 biggest draft steals from Purdue in the last 30 years. All of these guys (listed alphabetically) should have been selected higher, as they far out performed their draft status.
FB Mike Alstott (2nd round, 1996). Alstott’s rock ‘em, sock ‘em style made him a popular player in West Lafayette and Tampa. The only three-time team MVP at Purdue, Alstott became a beloved figure in Tampa after an 11-year career with the Buccaneers. He rushed for 5,088 yards and 58 touchdowns and led Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl title. Alstott also caught 305 passes for 2,284 yards and 13 scores. A six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, Alstott is deserving of being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
DE Cliff Avril (3rd round, 2008, Lions). Part of Purdue’s lush tradition of producing defensive ends, Avril out played his draft status during a 10-year NFL career with the Lions and Seahawks. Avril tallied 74 sacks and was a Pro Bowler in 2016 when he had a career-high 11.5 sacks. He helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl, too.
QB Drew Brees (2nd round, 2001, Chargers). What more can be said? Brees is entering his 20th season of what has been an iconic career that has him ticketed for Canton. He’s the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes, in addition to attempts and completions. Oh, and Brees is a Super Bowl champ, too, who saved football in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. All of this out of a second-round pick. Not bad.
LB Rosevelt Colvin (4th round, 1999). Purdue had few who made more big plays than Colvin. Who can forget his MVP effort in the 1998 Alamo Bowl? Or his heart-stopping scoop-and-score vs. Michigan State in 1997? And the big plays continued in the NFL. Colvin turned heads with the Bears from 1999-2002 before playing on some great Patriots teams from 2003-07, helping New England win two Super Bowls. Colvin finished his NFL career with 52.5 sacks, notching 10.5 in 2001 and 2002.
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C Nick Hardwick (3rd round, 2004, Chargers). A movie could be made of his life. Hardwick didn’t play high school football, walked on at Purdue, got drafted and played 11 years in the NFL. Hardwick spent his entire career in San Diego, starting all 136 he played. He was a Pro Bowler in 2006 and a member of the Chargers 50th anniversary team.
OT Matt Light (2nd round, 2001, Patriots). It can be argued that he was the Patriots’ best blocker during the Tom Brady era, playing in New England from 2001-11. Light was a three-time Pro Bowler (2006, 2007, 2010) and All-Pro once (2007). And a case could be made for Light—a three-time Super Bowl champ—being a Hall of Famer. It was quite a journey for a kid from Ohio who arrived at Purdue in 1996 as a tight end under Jim Colletto, redshirted in 1997 in Joe Tiller’s first season and moved to the offensive line, then became an All-Big Ten tackle for Drew Brees in 2000.
DE Rob Ninkovich (5th round, 2006, Saints). The guy was the ultimate overachiever at Purdue and in the NFL. He arrived in West Lafayette as a junior college transfer and left as a second-team All-Big Ten pick in 2005. He went on to a 12-year NFL career that saw Ninkovich make 46 sacks and win two Super Bowls with the Patriots. Take a bow, Rob.
DE Shaun Phillips (4th round, 2004, Chargers). Phillips went on to play 11 seasons (2004-14), toiling for the Broncos, Titans and Colts in addition to the Chargers. Phillips finished with 81.5 sacks and three times notched double-digit sack totals (2006, 2010, 2013). He made the Pro Bowl in 2010.
DT Kawann Short (2nd round, 2013, Panthers). The East Chicago, Ind., native is still an active force for the Panthers with 32.5 career sacks. Short has more than lived up to his draft status, earning two Pro Bowls (2015 and 2016). And he was second-team All-Pro once (2015).
DT Jeff Zgonina (7th round, 1993, Steelers). The 1992 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year enjoyed an epic 17-year NFL career, playing for seven teams and winning a Super Bowl along the way. Zgonina was a freak of nature who defied Father Time with an other-world physique.
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