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After his teammate, Brycen Hopkins worked out in Indianapolis on Thursday, it was former Purdue linebacker Markus Bailey’s turn on Saturday night.
For his measurables, the Columbus, Ohio native was listed at 6’0”, 235 pounds with 9 3/8” hands and 31 1/2” arms, which may be undersized given that he is not as athletic as some of the other linebackers in this year’s class.
Bailey is not able to resume football activities until next month while recovering from his torn ACL that he suffered in September of last season. That is why he did not complete the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, 3 cone drill or the 20-yard shuffle. He is expected to perform all of these drills at Purdue’s pro day on April 2nd.
Since he was not medically cleared for running, the only part of the workout he was able to perform was the bench press. He was able to pump out 15 reps of 225 pounds in Indianapolis which placed him 22nd out of the 27 linebackers who worked out on Saturday. This was not the performance he wanted to present to the NFL teams that were in attendance at the combine.
He was still in Indianapolis to go through the interview process with teams and speak to the media, and as Purdue fans have seen over his career in West Lafayette is a bright young man who has all the intangibles to be a successful NFL player.
Bailey’s athleticism and strength will not jump out at you, but he has a high football IQ, works extremely hard and never takes a play off. He is also an outstanding leader and will be wherever he goes in April’s draft.
His numbers were very consistent throughout his time playing in Ross-Ade Stadium as he racked up 324 total tackles, 14.5 sacks and 6 interceptions in the three healthy seasons he was able to suit up for. With two major knee injuries in college, teams will undoubtedly need confirmation on his medicals if he is to be drafted but it is very likely a squad will take a flyer on him in the middle rounds of the draft.
It will be interesting to see the numbers he will post at Purdue’s Pro Day in early April in preparation for the 2020 NFL Draft. Who would you like to see Markus suit up for next season?