Let’s do a Deep Dive after the first day in full pads.
1. A day after TE Garrett Miller was lost for the season with a knee injury, Purdue received another scare today when LB Jalen Graham suffered some sort of injury in drills. He left the field on his own power but seemed to be grabbing his left hamstring. Graham tried to walk it off but ended up leaving the field. He returned late in practice in street clothes. Word is Graham is fine. That’s good news, as the senior is the best player on defense.
UPDATE: Slight strain of hamstring. Not major. Day to day.
2. With Miller out, would Purdue consider moving someone to tight end? If that’s the plan, it wasn’t apparent on Tuesday. The tight ends today were: Mackey Award nominee Payne Durham, converted QB Paul Piferi, walk-on Ben Buechel and Max Klare, a true freshman. Fellow true freshman Charlie Kenrich is out with injury as is redshirt freshman Drew Biber, who still had a boot on his right foot today. Buechel had a long TD grab at one point today.
3. Yes, Central Michigan transfer RB Kobe Lewis has a nice skill set. But, know this: King Doerue is the No. 1 back. And, he’ll probably be the No. 1 RB all season. Lewis had a nice long TD run today, but he has shown rust after not playing for a year due to a knee injury. Lewis will play, it's just he still has a ways to go. He probably needs to get his weight down a little bit.
“Talented guy,” Barclay said of Lewis. “You know, first couple of days, just kind of trying to find his footing because I had to realize that it's been a year since the kid played football. And, so there were some moments where it looked a little rusty. But I had to kind of pull him to the side and say, ‘Hey, man, look, it's gonna come. We just got to knock the dust off, the cobwebs off and just be patient with yourself.’
“There's a lot. It's is a new level. It's a new playbook. And he kind of came in a little later. So, I mean, he's done a great job in the playbook. He's a smart kid. He sends me video all the time. He's always watching late at night. And he has a high care factor. So, I think he's just fine. He's gonna definitely help us.”
4. The offense was without three top WRs: Broc Thompson, Mershawn Rice and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen. All three are coming off injuries, with Thompson his shins, Rice a foot and Yaseen a knee. Thompson is being managed. He’s supposed to have a simulated practice on Wednesday with Aidan O’Connell. Preston Terrell also was out. Not sure why.
5. RB Dylan Downing has remade his body. And, it’s noticeable. He says he weighed 227 pounds at the Music City Bowl and is now tipping the scales at 210. No more orange chicken and fried rice from Panda Express. Now, it’s lots of veggies—and no meat— for the burly back from Carmel, who has taken up healthy cooking. Downing also is healthy after shoulder surgery in the offseason.
6. RB coach Chris Barclay says Tyrone Tracy splits his practice time between his group and the receivers. The Iowa transfer could be an X-factor, injecting some speed into the RB unit with a handful of carries a game.
7. OT Daniel Johnson was dressed but did little, if anything, as he deals with an ankle issue. Fellow OT Cross Watson was in full gear. Redshirt freshman Marcus Mbow spent a decent amount of time at right tackle today. The staff wants him ready to help there and right guard. He could start at either, but likely will be the No. 1 RG.
8. The staff had Mitchell Fineran kick some field goals with teammates crowded around and music blaring. Fineran delivered, nailing one kick from what had to be close to 50 yards. He could be a real weapon—again.
9. For all of you Devin Mockobee fans out there, the 6-0, 195-pound redshirt freshman is legit—according to RB coach Chris Barclay.
“I mean, you talk about a pleasant surprise,” said Barclay “I mean, I knew that he would be good in time. But his progress to this point in camp has been remarkable, to say the least. It's got the defense talking. I mean, there's a lot of guys that are like, 'Coach, every day, we have a hard time kind of corralling him.' You know, he's twitchy. He's faster than you think. He's slippery. It's kind of like trying to tackle an eel. I mean, it's hard to kind of get a grasp on him. And, he naturally sees the field. I mean, he's gonna play for us. I can see him getting in the game at some point, for sure.”
10. CBs Cory Trice, Jamari Brown and Tee Denson, along with S Sanoussi Kane, continue to do work by themselves as they return from injury.
11. Couple NFL scouts were spied today. One was from the Titans.
Thanks for reading! Purdue is off on Wednesday, then, back it on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which will be a closed scrimmage. Thursday and Friday are the last open practices.
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