Purdue Players in NFL Training Camps

It’s NFL Training camp time and that means it is time for the Where’s Waldo game of finding out where Purdue’s guys are. This is the first year since the mid-90s that Purdue did not have a player drafted, but there are still plenty of guys that will try to make teams the hard way. Officially there are 19 players from Purdue trying to make rosters. Some are shoe-ins, while others are long shots. All are hoping to join Ja’Whaun Bentley and Danny Etling, who earned a Super Bowl ring last year.

Ricardo Allen - Atlanta Falcons - Rico is coming off of a torn achilles and is limited a bit. He is, fortunately, under contract through 2021 after signing a $19.5 million extension last year.

Ja’Whaun Bentley - New England Patriots - Bentley is also coming off of a season ending injury, but Patriot fans are excited to get him back after he had a promising debut last year.

David Blough - Cleveland Browns - Blough is a bit of a long shot to make the Browns roster as an undrafted free agent, but he has a change. Baker Mayfield is definitely the starter, but Blough will battle Drew Stanton and Garrett Gilbert for a spot.

Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints - It is pretty safe to say that the most prolific passer in NFL history will make the roster. He needs 20 TD passes to break the NFL record, but Tom Brady is also only three behind him, so it is neck-and-neck for this record. He will become the first player in NFL history to throw for 75,000 career yards this season, probably in week 2 or 3.

Anthony Brown - Dallas Cowboys - Brown is in a pretty solid spot as the Cowboys No. 3 cornerback. He is getting a nice boost with a $2.025 million contact this season, but it is officially a contract year.

Danny Etling - New England Patriots - Yes, I am counting Etling because he did play at Purdue for two seasons. He spent last year on the practice squad in New England and they are trying him at receiver this year.

Cole Herdman - Baltimore Ravens - Herdman is a longshot to make it as an undrafted free agent in Baltimore.

Gabe Holmes - Indianapolis Colts - I was a bit surprised to see Holmes still kicking around, but he has hung on to play 10 games and start four times with Arizona the last two seasons. Now he gets a chance in Indy.

Dennis Kelly - Tennessee Titans - Kelly is in the final year of his contract in Tennessee and is expected to battle for starter’s minutes. He has a base salary of $1.35 million this year.

Ryan Kerrigan - Washington Redskins - Kerrigan has gone to three straight Pro Bowls and is one of the best linebackers in the NFL. He is currently second all-time for the Redskins with 84.5 career sacks. Also, all three of his career interceptions have been turned for touchdowns.

Austin Larkin - Atlanta Falcons - Larkin is probably a long shot to make the roster in Atlanta as a free agent.

Raheem Mostert - San Francisco 49ers - Last season Mostert finally got some regular playing time. He rushed for 261 yards and a TD before breaking his arm and missing the rest of the season. He should be in the rotation for San Francisco.

Kevin Pamphile - Tennessee Titans - Pamphile got a one year extension for a million dollars this year and could play alongside Kelly in Tennessee.

Jordan Roos - Seattle Seahawks - Roos played in seven games in 2017 but did not play at all last year. He is probably fighting for a roster spot.

Kawann Short - Carolina Panthers - One of the top defensive linemen in the NFL, Short is coming off of a Pro Bowl season in Carolina and will be a starter.

David Steinmetz - Hosuton Texans - Steinmetz bounced around last season a bit and is trying to make the roster as a second year undrafted free agent.

Jacob Thieneman - New York Giants - Thieneman has already defied the odds to make it to training camp as a former walk-on, so don't count him out in New York.

Terry Wright - Seattle Seahawks - Wright has been impressive this offseason. He has the one thing that can make an undrafted free agent stand out: blinding speed.

Isaac Zico - Arizona Cardinals - Zico had a breakout last year, but he was still undrafted. With Arizona not expected to do much there is an opportunity to earn a spot.