Boilermakers in the Combine

  After last year's impressive performance by Dustin Keller at the combine boosted him up to the 30th draft pick, expectations weren't quite as high for this graduating class of Boilermakers.  Curtis Painter was projected to be the top senior QB by ESPN's Mel Kiper to start off the season, but an inability to handle pressure situations and a separated right shoulder have caused the Vincennes native's draft stock to fall.  Read how he and the other Boilermakers fared at the NFL Combine.

Curtis Painter:  In his roughest season as the Purdue QB, Curtis still has the potential to be a good player in the NFL.  He has the size and the arm strength, but the scout's only concern is that he is not a big game quarterback.  In reality, Curtis spent his time at Purdue when the Purdue defense could not stop anybody.  He never won any big games despite putting up 40+ points on the board in those big games.  At the combine, Painter was able to show some sparks of athleticism.  He ran a 4.87 40 time (6th best among QBs) as well as a 7 second performance in the 3 cone drill (4th among QBs).  If he can show that his shoulder is fully healed at his pro day, his stock just might be going up.  ESPN ranked him as the 13th best QB in the draft.

Greg Orton: Orton helped out his draft stock at the combine with a "strong" performance.  Putting up top performances in the bench press (22 reps, 3rd best among WRs), vertical jump (38.0", 6th best among WRs), and broad jump (10'5", 7th among WRs) to show he can be a physical WR in the NFL.  He is ranked 32nd among WR at the combine according to ESPN, but his character, physical size, and performance could help him find his way on to a team on the 2nd day of the draft.

Kory Sheets:  No Purdue player helped his stock more than Sheets showing the scouts how he would perform outside of the spread offense.  Sheets might have had an outstanding career in a balanced offense, but having the starting spot to himself this past year helped him shine in the Big Ten.  His only downfall may be calling out Painter and the Purdue offense in the media which raise some character questions.  He was 3rd among RBs in the 40 running a time of 4.47.  He also turned out top performances in the vertical jump (37", 5th among RBs), broad jump (10'1", 5th among RBs), and the 60-yard shuttle (11.7 seconds, 6th among RBs).  Sheets is ranked as the 14th best RB according to ESPN but his versatility should make him a much more popular on draft day.

Alex Magee: For a guy who didn't have a stat laden senior season, he is still among the top players at his position.  He did make a move from DT to DE for his senior season and he quietly had a productive season.  He had a top performance in the bench press with 30 reps, 8th among D-Linemen.  Currently he ranks 16th among all D-Linemen, according to ESPN.  Chances are he will move back to DT for the NFL.