Purdue Football: Ranking the Top 10 Skill Guys of the Decade

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Yesterday, I ranked the top 10 QBS of the decade, I probably should have only ranked about 5. But, then I couldn’t have gotten Joe Schopper in the post.

Today, we are looking at skill guys. Purdue has had some pretty solid skill guys over the past ten years, and most coming from the Jeff Brohm era.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

• Rondale Moore - This was such an easy choice. The All-American was Purdue’s only offensive skill player given that title this decade. With over 1200 yards and 100 catches his freshman year, he was the first true freshman named to the All-American Team since Adrian Peterson. A torn up hamstring derailed his sophomore season, but he was playing well beforehand.

• David Bell - The soon to be freshman All-American by the AP has been named a freshman All-American by Pro Football Focus and 247Sports.com. David Bell thrived after the Moore injury, getting the bulk of the looks at wide receiver. Bell and Moore were the only two offensive skill guys named to an All-American team this decade. Bell had over 1000 yards receiving.

• DeAngelo Yancey - Yancey is underappreciated in my opinion. One of the few legit stars from the Hazell era. Yancey was a NFL Draft pick. He compiled over 2,000 yards receiving during his career as a 4 year starter. His senior season he had 951 yards on 49 catches for 10 touchdowns. He was the #1 Overall pick in the XFL draft a few months back.

• Brycen Hopkins - The lone tight end of the decade may be a Round 1 or Round 2 selection. After being behind Cole Herdman his first couple of season, he exploded onto the scene in 2018 and 2019. This past season he snagged 61 passed for 830 yards and 7 touchdowns from 3 different quarterbacks. He was AOC’s security blanket late in the season. He will be a solid pro.

• Raheem Mostert - During his time at Purdue, he wasn’t used as he should have been. He was mostly a return man. He holds the Purdue Career Record for most Kick Return Yards with 2,283 Yards. He also holds the record for combined return (kick and punt) at 206 in a game. He did not break 1,000 career rushing yards during his 4 years at Purdue. But expect his kick return yardage to stand for quite some time. He is now thriving with the San Francisco 49ers after bouncing around for a few seasons.

• Akeem Hunt - The do it all back was a threat running the ball and a threat a a receiver as well. Hunt had an outstanding 2014 season, compiling over 1000 total yards. Again, Akeem is a guy who doesn’t get a ton of love as he played during the entirety of the Hazell Era. He would be an absolute weapon in the Jeff Brohm offense.

• Markell Jones - I have Jones higher than Knox for this reason... He was a 4 year starter that fought through adversity - he fell into the dog house his sophomore season with Hazell after having over 800 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman. He then dealt with the backfield as a committee during his time under Jeff Brohm. He was the first Mr. Football to commit to Purdue in a LOOONG time. He helped put Purdue back in the right direction.

• D.J. Knox - D.J. Knox got most of his run when Jeff Brohm came to town. He split carries with Markell Jones, then in 2018 he took most of the carries, out gaining Jones by almost 300 on the season. Knox was a gritty under recruited kid out of Georgia and he worked his ass off to become a starter. He was a primary reason for back to back bowl appearances in 2017 and 2018.

• Akeem Shavers - Akeem Shavers only played two years at Purdue after transferring here in 2011 to give us immediate help at running back - the previous year Rob Henry was our leading rusher. Shavers came in and compiled over 1300 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2 seasons. Give Purdue a nice addition to compliment the often injured Ralph Bolden.

• Danny Anthrop - “The Lafayette Ghost” was offered late by Danny Hope after he dominated during track season - Hope then realized, oh snap, he is fast. Danny came in and did a nice job for Danny Hope and then Darrell Hazell. Danny never redshirted and played a ton of special teams as a freshman. His best season came in 2014 where he snagged 38 catches for 616 yards good for 16 yards per catch. He played injured his senior year, but he still compiled another 57 catches to round out his career having 113 catches, 1,384 yards and 9 touchdowns.