Defensive Line Ranked 7th

Kwann Short

 ESPN B1G football blogger Adam Rittenberg released his rankings of of defensive lines in the Big Ten.  Purdue came in at 7th.  While Kerrigan is a big loss for the Boilers, I feel like this is a little low.  Last year in the Big Ten there were several elite defensive ends that were seniors and all graduated.  Defensive tackle Kwann Short is going to be a force to be reckoned with and I expect Bruce Gaston Jr. to take another step to become a very good defensive tackle as well.  Gerald Gooden needs is almost assured to be one of the starters at the defensive end spots.  He needs to start living up to the talent he has.  Who starts at the other defensive end spot is up in the air right now, though Robert Maci seems to be in the lead for it. Here is what Rittenberg had to say about Purdue:

"7. Purdue: Defensive tackle is a major strength for Purdue as Kawann Short and Bruce Gaston Jr. form one of the league’s top tandems. Short quietly turned in an extremely productive season last fall (12.5 TFLs, 6 sacks). The big unknown is how Purdue replaces Kerrigan. The Boilers need veteran Gerald Gooden to stay healthy and others to emerge alongside him."