In all of yesterday's posts I forgot to do the countdown post for Thursday's player, so here is the first of two posts in the player countdown.
Justin Kitchens - Sr.
Warner Robbins, Georgia (Houston County)
6'4", 294 pounds
Offensive Tackle
2013 Projection: On the two-deeps at offensive tackle
One of the early fall camp battles for Purdue appears to be on the offensive line. Will Darrell Hazell go with some promising young guys that are coming out of redshirt or will the old guard get a new look? Kitchens comes in as a member of that old guard.
Kitchens began his career on the defensive line where he got seven tackles in eight games as a redshirt freshman, including 1.5 sacks, in 2010. The next year he made the move to offensive line, where he played in seven games and started four times.
Last year Kitchens was in a season-long battle with Kevin Pamphile and Trevor Foy at the tackle spots. Kitchens often played because Foy battled consistent shoulder issues. That gives Purdue some options at offensive tackle since Kitchens now has plenty of experience on the offensive side of the ball. We can expect him to be either a starter or the top reserve off the bench in the event there is trouble with Pamphile or Foy. The fact that he can play right or left tackle is very important, as his versatility could be useful.