2013 NFL Draft Prospects: Purdue

These are the school’s prospects for the 2013 NFL Draft by status * – denotes 2014 prospect ** – denotes 2015 prospect.

This page was last updated April 24, 2013. Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Kawann Short, DT, Purdue
Height: 6-3. Weight: 308. Arm: 33 3/4. Hand: 9 1/2.
40 Time: 5.08.
Projected Round (2013): 1-2.
4/24/13: Most projections have Short sliding into the second round. After not working out at the Combine, Short did well at his pro day. He ran well and had good numbers in the other measurements.

Short had a hot start to 2012, but that wasn’t surprising. He was one of the top interior pass-rushers in college football over the past three years. Short had a two-sack game against Notre Dame this season and dominated in other outings. He has shown the ability to beat guards with strength as well as speed, and looked more powerful in 2012.

Short was slowed down in the middle portion of the season by an ankle injury, but continued to play. He had an ugly showing against Penn State, but came back dominant against Iowa. Short notched six tackles, four tackles for a loss and a sack veruss the Hawkeyes. A teammate was credited with another sack but it easily could’ve been split with Short.

The senior totaled 43 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, four passes broken up, four blocked kicks and a forced fumble in 2012. He had a good showing at the Senior Bowl.

8/25/12: Kawann Short benefited greatly from Ryan Kerrigan for two seasons. Short took over as Purdue’s defensive leader as a junior last year. The sophomore recorded six sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss in 2010. He also had 41 tackles with two blocked kicks.

Short is strong, quick and athletic. He looks like a potential three-technique defensive tackle with the ability to shoot the gap and get pressure on the quarterback. Kerrigan was quick to tell WalterFootball.com at the 2011 Senior Bowl that Short helped him to reproduce his success in 2010.

Short started last season slow lywithout Kerrigan next to him, but in the second half of the year, the junior was excellent, including a three-sack game against Ohio State. He totaled 54 tackles with 17 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks and one forced fumble in 2011.

Short was a Second-Team Big Ten performer last – his second straight selection. Purdue does an excellent job of producing quality NFL defensive linemen, and he appears to be the next in line.

Finding pass-rushing defensive tackles is very hard for NFL teams, thus Short stands a good shot of being a first-rounder given his consistent pass-rushing production.

Josh Johnson, CB, Purdue
Height: 5-9. Weight: 199.
40 Time: 4.65.
Projected Round (2013): 4-5.
4/24/13: Johnson had a slow time in the 40-yard dash, but there is some buzz about him. The senior had 65 tackles with three interceptions, three forced fumbles and 16 passes broken up in 2012. Johnson has some man-coverage ability and formed a nice tandem with teammate Ricardo Allen. Johnson notched 64 tackles with 4.5 tackles for a loss, nine passes broken up, one interception and one forced fumble in 2011.

Dwayne Beckford, ILB, Purdue
Height: 6-1. Weight: 235.
Projected 40 Time: 4.81.
Projected Round (2013): FA.
4/24/13: Beckford missed the 2012 season after he was kicked off the team in August. Purdue had no choice since it was Beckford’s fourth arrest in 14 months, including at least one DUI.

Beckford totaled 91 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, three sacks, four passes broken up, a forced fumble and an interception in 2011. He should’ve tried to play at another school before going pro and will be lucky to be signed as an undrafted free agent.