Kawann Short, DT, Purdue
Height: 6-3. Weight: 310.
Projected 40 Time: 5.05.
Projected Round (2013): Top 20.
10/20/12: Short has had a strong first half of the season. He has been one of the top interior pass-rushers in college football. Short had a two-sack game against Notre Dame and dominated in other outings. He has shown the ability to beat guards with strength as well as speed, and looks more powerful this season.
Short has totaled 20 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, four sacks, two passes broken up, four blocked kicks and a forced fumble.
8/25/12: Kawann Short benefited greatly from Ryan Kerrigan for two seasons. Short took over as Purdue's defensive leader as a junior last year. The sophomore recorded six sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss in 2010. He also had 41 tackles with two blocked kicks.
Short is strong, quick and athletic. He looks like a potential three-technique defensive tackle with the ability to shoot the gap and get pressure on the quarterback. Kerrigan was quick to tell WalterFootball.com at the 2011 Senior Bowl that Short helped him to reproduce his success in 2010.
Short started last season slow lywithout Kerrigan next to him, but in the second half of the year, the junior was excellent, including a three-sack game against Ohio State. He totaled 54 tackles with 17 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks and one forced fumble in 2011.
Short was a Second-Team Big Ten performer last - his second straight selection. Purdue does an excellent job of producing quality NFL defensive linemen, and he appears to be the next in line.
Finding pass-rushing defensive tackles is very hard for NFL teams, thus Short stands a good shot of being a first-rounder given his consistent pass-rushing production.
