2011’s 10 Most Important Purdue Football Players: #5

The Boiling Point: Purdue’s Kwann Short checks in at No. 5 of TheBoilingPoint.com’s list of most important football players for the upcoming season.

No. 5 Kwann Short
Year: Junior
Position: Defensive Tackle
Number: 93
Key stat: 6 – sacks he had last year, improving from 0 his freshman year.
Analysis: With Ryan Kerrigan off to the NFL, Short is going to become the focal point of every offensive line. Unless Gerald Gooden, Bruce Gaston and whoever starts at the other defensive end spot steps up big time, Short can expect to be double-teamed pretty much every play.  Kerrigan was able to deal with it pretty well last year, now its time for Short to do the same.

Short has the all the talent to make him the next Purdue defensive lineman to make it to the NFL. He clearly has the size and strength, and playing basketball all through high school, he’s got the speed and quickness. As much as Kerrigan being double-teamed by offensive lines helped him out last year, there is no reason that Short shouldn’t start to show the same type of production. With Purdue not being that great against the run the past couple years, its success this year could hinge on what Short is able to accomplish.

This is part of a daily series that will continue with No. 4 on Wednesday. Again, these are the most IMPORTANT players for this upcoming season, not necessarily best. Make sure to check back to follow the list. Also, do you agree or disagree? Let us hear your thoughts.

Complete list
No. 10 Carson Wiggs
No. 9 Akeem Shavers
No. 8 Dwayne Beckford
No. 7 Ricardo Allen
No. 6 Ken Plue