I feel there’s a lot of bad info out there on Purdue. Covering these teams is harder than ever with such incomplete info. I decided to piece together my own preview as the season nears
Depth chart
Players who saw the field for Purdue will be in bold. Players who haven’t played p5 (but who would be next if someone goes down) will be in blue.
Quarterbacks
1 Hudson Card 6’2” 201 R-Jr Texas
928 yards 69.4% avg 6 TD 1 INT
18 Bennett Meredith 6’3” 195 Freshman Arizona State
19 Kyle Adam’s 6’1” 195 Junior James Madison
On the one hand, I’ve heard that Hudson card should not be much of a drop off from O’Connell overall. Is he the precision passer? Probably not. He’s much faster though. For Purdue to be a good 8-4 team, Card doesn’t need to be outstanding. He needs to be accurate when players are open and stay healthy. If he is the kind of passer O’Connell was last year, Purdue can have big dreams.
If there’s one curiosity I have about Card it is this: my understanding is that he’s an air raid high school QB who was in more of a RPO offense at Texas, where he did well in his time playing. I’m wondering if being in the air raid takes his game a notch higher.
This is one of a few positions that is not the position that say TE or OLB is for Purdue. If Card gets hobbled or goes down, Meredith is a complete unknown. If Purdue was to have to turn to he or Adams (whose story is said to be similar to O’Connell), even if that player shows flashes, you can expect Purdue to struggle to make a bowl.
Nobody brings everyone back in the transfer era. If you lose a great starter and you can bring in a Hudson Card, I’d call that a victory.
Runningback
45 Devin Mockobee 6’0” 195 R-So.
Rushing - 968 yds 5.0 avg 9 TD
Receiving - 274 yds 8.6 avg 0 TD
3 Tyrone Tracy 6’1” 205 6th
Rushing - 138 yds 8.1 avg 0 TD
Receiving - 198 yds 7.1 avg 0TD
38 Dylan Downing 6’0” 210 Sr.
Rushing - 351 yds 3.8 avg 4 TD
Receiving - 100 yds 8.3 avg 0 TD
29 Christian Womack Fr.
Devin Mockobee, if healthy, will probably not only be the best player on the offense.. he’s probably already the best back Purdue has had since Kory Sheets at least. The speedy Mockobee is also a physical runner who plays bigger than his size. He’s got great vision, is elusive and is a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield for big yards. Even if the other backs get plenty of run, I see Mockobee crossing 1100 yards rushing and 15 or so TDs if he plays 13-14 games.
The thing that makes Mockobee so dangerous for opponents, in my estimation, is that he doesn’t need a great run blocking OL, or an offense geared toward running. He can be in a pass oriented offense and do damage like he’s in a run oriented offense. This is one of the areas in which I believe national pundits underestimate Purdue.
That’s the good news. The bad is that like QB, there’s a steep drop off after the starter. Tyrone Tracy has mostly played receiver. I think he will factor in and like his athleticism, but If Mockobee were to get nicked up, I don’t like relying primarily on Tracy. Downing is tough to bring down when he gets out of the backfield.
Womack is a speedy back who may start to appear if needed, or later in the season.
Wide Receiver/Tight end
The roles are I’ll change a bit under Harrell. The X is your fastest outside receiver. The Y is an inside receiver who “stays on the right, has a passion for catching the ball, and doesn’t mind getting hit when he does.” The Z outside receiver “moves around a bit and plays on both sides.”
Wide receiver X
7 Jahmal Edrine 6’3” 210 R-So. FAU
39 rec 570 yds 14.3 avg 6 TD
6 Curtis Deville 6’2” 190 R-Fr.
Wide receiver Z
2 Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen 6’2” 195 R-Jr.
5 rec 93 yds 18.3 avg 0 TD (2021)
9 Mershawn Rice 6’2” 205 R-Sr.
23 rec 283 yds 12.3 avg 1 TD
5 Elijah Canion 6’4” 220 R-Jr.
0 rec 0 yds 0 avg 0 TD (played v Penn State)
Slot Y
8 TJ Sheffield 5’11” 190 R-Sr.
46 rec 480 yds 10.4 avg 4 TD
4 Deion Burks 5’11” 180 R-So.
15 rec 149 yds 9.9 avg 0 TD
Tight End
88 Garrett Miller 6’5” 245 R-Sr.
19 rec 165 yds 8.7 avg 0 TD
89 Paul Piferi 6’5” 240 R-Sr.
10 rec 143 yds 14.3 avg 1 TD
86 Max Klare 6’4” 225 R-Fr.
82 Drew Biber 6’5” 225 R-So.
1 rec 6 yds 6.0 avg 0 TD
Purdue is losing Charlie Jones! And what was Jones before last year? A guy who had 323 receiving yards the season before at Iowa.
If Hudson Card is just pretty good, and he and Devin Mockobee are healthy, Purdue will just need someone to be serviceable at each outside receiver spot.
In the slot, TJ Sheffield made the kind of plays in 2021 that made you think he’d have had much more production if not for the presence of Bell and Wright. In 2022, it felt like Garrick McGee did not effectively pick up what former WR coach Jamarcus Shepherd left behind. There didn’t end up being a viable option on the outside opposite Jones. That forced Sheffield outside when he isn’t an outside receiver.
Other potions will need guys who have been hurt to be healthy or for someone to emerge. The slot is second behind RB as far as being the skill position most ready to gain yards. There, Sheffield is joined by speedster Deion Burks.
Outside receiver has uncertainty, but also a lot of options. Mershawn Rice and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen were four star recruits out of high school. In 2021, when David Bell was hurt vs, Notre Dame, Mershawn Rice took his place and played well. Then he was out after that game. He returned last year, but did not look like the player he was vs. the Irish. In the next game, Yaseen played very well against Illinois in Bell’s place. Then he was out after that game and hasn’t returned since.
Elijah Canion transferred from Auburn and played vs Penn State before missing the rest of the year with injury. He didn’t catch a pass, but he was giving Joey Porter Jr. issues with his size.
Jahmal Edrine is a very athletic option who was the best combination of receiving yards and yards per reception on FAU last year. His QB, N’kosi Perry, completed only 58% of his passes. Had Edrine had a better QB, he might have been more productive, albeit at the P5 level.
Curtis Deville was a track guy in high school and a 5.7 rivals recruit.
Between those five players, I think two solid starters emerge.
Tight end will be dependent on Garrett Miller being healthy. He went down last camp and missed the season. If he is back to his old self, he’s both a more physical blocker and a better receiving threat than Payne Durham was.
Paul Piferi will play as more of a receiving tight end either way, but if Miller is not healthy or gets banged up, Purdue would need Max Klare to come on earlier than I want. Either way, I expect Klare and Biber to play this year.
Depth chart
Players who saw the field for Purdue will be in bold. Players who haven’t played p5 (but who would be next if someone goes down) will be in blue.
Quarterbacks
1 Hudson Card 6’2” 201 R-Jr Texas
928 yards 69.4% avg 6 TD 1 INT
18 Bennett Meredith 6’3” 195 Freshman Arizona State
19 Kyle Adam’s 6’1” 195 Junior James Madison
On the one hand, I’ve heard that Hudson card should not be much of a drop off from O’Connell overall. Is he the precision passer? Probably not. He’s much faster though. For Purdue to be a good 8-4 team, Card doesn’t need to be outstanding. He needs to be accurate when players are open and stay healthy. If he is the kind of passer O’Connell was last year, Purdue can have big dreams.
If there’s one curiosity I have about Card it is this: my understanding is that he’s an air raid high school QB who was in more of a RPO offense at Texas, where he did well in his time playing. I’m wondering if being in the air raid takes his game a notch higher.
This is one of a few positions that is not the position that say TE or OLB is for Purdue. If Card gets hobbled or goes down, Meredith is a complete unknown. If Purdue was to have to turn to he or Adams (whose story is said to be similar to O’Connell), even if that player shows flashes, you can expect Purdue to struggle to make a bowl.
Nobody brings everyone back in the transfer era. If you lose a great starter and you can bring in a Hudson Card, I’d call that a victory.
Runningback
45 Devin Mockobee 6’0” 195 R-So.
Rushing - 968 yds 5.0 avg 9 TD
Receiving - 274 yds 8.6 avg 0 TD
3 Tyrone Tracy 6’1” 205 6th
Rushing - 138 yds 8.1 avg 0 TD
Receiving - 198 yds 7.1 avg 0TD
38 Dylan Downing 6’0” 210 Sr.
Rushing - 351 yds 3.8 avg 4 TD
Receiving - 100 yds 8.3 avg 0 TD
29 Christian Womack Fr.
Devin Mockobee, if healthy, will probably not only be the best player on the offense.. he’s probably already the best back Purdue has had since Kory Sheets at least. The speedy Mockobee is also a physical runner who plays bigger than his size. He’s got great vision, is elusive and is a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield for big yards. Even if the other backs get plenty of run, I see Mockobee crossing 1100 yards rushing and 15 or so TDs if he plays 13-14 games.
The thing that makes Mockobee so dangerous for opponents, in my estimation, is that he doesn’t need a great run blocking OL, or an offense geared toward running. He can be in a pass oriented offense and do damage like he’s in a run oriented offense. This is one of the areas in which I believe national pundits underestimate Purdue.
That’s the good news. The bad is that like QB, there’s a steep drop off after the starter. Tyrone Tracy has mostly played receiver. I think he will factor in and like his athleticism, but If Mockobee were to get nicked up, I don’t like relying primarily on Tracy. Downing is tough to bring down when he gets out of the backfield.
Womack is a speedy back who may start to appear if needed, or later in the season.
Wide Receiver/Tight end
The roles are I’ll change a bit under Harrell. The X is your fastest outside receiver. The Y is an inside receiver who “stays on the right, has a passion for catching the ball, and doesn’t mind getting hit when he does.” The Z outside receiver “moves around a bit and plays on both sides.”
Wide receiver X
7 Jahmal Edrine 6’3” 210 R-So. FAU
39 rec 570 yds 14.3 avg 6 TD
6 Curtis Deville 6’2” 190 R-Fr.
Wide receiver Z
2 Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen 6’2” 195 R-Jr.
5 rec 93 yds 18.3 avg 0 TD (2021)
9 Mershawn Rice 6’2” 205 R-Sr.
23 rec 283 yds 12.3 avg 1 TD
5 Elijah Canion 6’4” 220 R-Jr.
0 rec 0 yds 0 avg 0 TD (played v Penn State)
Slot Y
8 TJ Sheffield 5’11” 190 R-Sr.
46 rec 480 yds 10.4 avg 4 TD
4 Deion Burks 5’11” 180 R-So.
15 rec 149 yds 9.9 avg 0 TD
Tight End
88 Garrett Miller 6’5” 245 R-Sr.
19 rec 165 yds 8.7 avg 0 TD
89 Paul Piferi 6’5” 240 R-Sr.
10 rec 143 yds 14.3 avg 1 TD
86 Max Klare 6’4” 225 R-Fr.
82 Drew Biber 6’5” 225 R-So.
1 rec 6 yds 6.0 avg 0 TD
Purdue is losing Charlie Jones! And what was Jones before last year? A guy who had 323 receiving yards the season before at Iowa.
If Hudson Card is just pretty good, and he and Devin Mockobee are healthy, Purdue will just need someone to be serviceable at each outside receiver spot.
In the slot, TJ Sheffield made the kind of plays in 2021 that made you think he’d have had much more production if not for the presence of Bell and Wright. In 2022, it felt like Garrick McGee did not effectively pick up what former WR coach Jamarcus Shepherd left behind. There didn’t end up being a viable option on the outside opposite Jones. That forced Sheffield outside when he isn’t an outside receiver.
Other potions will need guys who have been hurt to be healthy or for someone to emerge. The slot is second behind RB as far as being the skill position most ready to gain yards. There, Sheffield is joined by speedster Deion Burks.
Outside receiver has uncertainty, but also a lot of options. Mershawn Rice and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen were four star recruits out of high school. In 2021, when David Bell was hurt vs, Notre Dame, Mershawn Rice took his place and played well. Then he was out after that game. He returned last year, but did not look like the player he was vs. the Irish. In the next game, Yaseen played very well against Illinois in Bell’s place. Then he was out after that game and hasn’t returned since.
Elijah Canion transferred from Auburn and played vs Penn State before missing the rest of the year with injury. He didn’t catch a pass, but he was giving Joey Porter Jr. issues with his size.
Jahmal Edrine is a very athletic option who was the best combination of receiving yards and yards per reception on FAU last year. His QB, N’kosi Perry, completed only 58% of his passes. Had Edrine had a better QB, he might have been more productive, albeit at the P5 level.
Curtis Deville was a track guy in high school and a 5.7 rivals recruit.
Between those five players, I think two solid starters emerge.
Tight end will be dependent on Garrett Miller being healthy. He went down last camp and missed the season. If he is back to his old self, he’s both a more physical blocker and a better receiving threat than Payne Durham was.
Paul Piferi will play as more of a receiving tight end either way, but if Miller is not healthy or gets banged up, Purdue would need Max Klare to come on earlier than I want. Either way, I expect Klare and Biber to play this year.
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