Making The Cut: 2011 Purdue Edition

One of my favorite things to do with the NFL is watching the cut list.  It provides a great way to improve future teams by picking up someone else's scraps.  It also gives us a way to see what Purdue alumni have made NFL rosters.  In this year's edition of Making The Cut, well, we really don't have many that made rosters.

From last year's class, only Ryan Kerrigan was a sure thing.  I mean, it would be disappointing if a first round pick didn't survive training camp.   A few people have predicted that Superman will win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, which would be a great honor.  I'm not so sure that he will, but I predict big things in DC for Kerrigan.  They always need pass rushers and that's what he was put on earth to do.

Another Boilermaker from last year that made a roster is TE Kyle Adams.  Undrafted, Adams made a big impression in Bears camp and won a roster spot over veteran Desmond Clark.  I always though Adams was underutilized and I am happy to see him on a roster.  I have talked to numerous Bears fans who are very pleased with his progress.  Who knows, maybe Adams can make a start or two this year.

Speaking of Purdue alumni who may make a start this year, Curtis Painter is once again on the Colts roster.  With the potential for Peyton Manning to miss a bunch of games, the chance for Painter to start is there.  Kerry Collins stands in his way, however.  If this was 1999, I would say Painter's chances are small, but this is 2011.  Collins is a little beyond being past his prime.  Although I was never a big Painter fan, seeing him become the 3rd current starting QB from Purdue would be awesome.

Now it's time for the sad part of this post.  The men that didn't make a roster.  Oft-injured linebacker Jason Werner wasn't able to stick on a roster.  I'm not sure how well football will work out with him, but I wish him the best in his future.

Greg Orton was cut by Kyle Orton's Broncos.  Orton has spent time in camp with a couple of teams, but just hasn't been able to crack a roster.  David Pender was unable to stick on the Bengals' roster and we will see if he ends up on a practice squad.

Brandon King and Dan Dierking were also early cuts this season.  King was unable to crack the Colts' secondary while Dierking was cut by the Bears.  I was very surprised that Dierking was invited to a roster, but it shows that hard work can pay off.

Finally, Kory Sheets was cut by the Dolphins.  Sheets has been struck by the injury bug since joining the league and has been unable to get healthy.  Sheets may be able to join another roster, but that remains to be seen.

That wraps up this edition of Making The Cut.  If you know of any other Boilers that snuck on to rosters or were cut, leave it in the comments and I can add it to this post.