April 25, 2004
Shaun Phillips Bio in PDF Format
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Niko Koutouvides Bio in PDF Format
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Kelly Butler Bio in PDF Format
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Craig Terrill Bio in PDF Format
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Jacques Reeves Bio in PDF Format
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.- The NFL proved this weekend what the NCAA already knew: Purdue has a quality football program.
After having four third-round picks during the first day of the 2004 NFL Draft on Saturday, five more Boilermakers were selected today. Defensive end Shaun Phillips went in the fourth round to the San Diego Chargers (98th overall), followed by linebacker Niko Koutouvides in the fourth to the Seattle Seahawks (116th overall), offensive tackle Kelly Butler in the sixth to the Detroit Lions (172nd overall), defensive tackle Craig Terrill in the sixth to Seattle (189th overall) and cornerback Jacques Reeves in the seventh to the Dallas Cowboys (223rd overall).
The Boilermakers' nine selections are tied for the second-most by any school this year, trailing only Ohio State (14). Miami (Fla.) also had nine selections. It is the most picks from Purdue since a school-record 10 were selected in 1960. Additionally, Purdue had five players go among the top 100 for only the second time, following 1973, when six of the first 79 picks were Boilermakers.
"When you're talking about Purdue, you can see why they are a tough team to beat with all these players going to the NFL," draft expert Mel Kiper said on ESPN.
"First and foremost, I'm proud of all our guys," said head coach Joe Tiller, who now has had 24 players drafted in his seven years with the Boilermakers. "I think it says a lot about the talent in our program when that many players get drafted in one year. Our current players should be motivated by what transpired the last two days, and hopefully recruits will take notice of what we have built at Purdue."
A native of Willingboro, N.J., the 6-2, 252-pound Phillips is the Boilermakers' career sacks leader with 33.5 and shares the school standard with seven fumbles recovered. He ranks third with 60.5 tackles for loss and tied for 14th with 23 pass breakups. As a senior, Phillips was a second team All-American and first team All-Big Ten selection and was voted Purdue's Most Valuable Player. He led the Big Ten with averages of 1.12 sacks and 1.77 tackles for loss per game, ranking seventh and sixth nationally.
With the Chargers, Phillips will join center Nick Hardwick, who was taken in the third round Saturday, and quarterback Drew Brees, a second-round pick in 2001.
"I'm excited," Phillips said. "They just switched to a 3-4 defense, so there should be an opportunity for me to go in and contribute and have some fun in the sun. I was disappointed not to go Saturday, and I slept in this morning until the draft started. The general manager (A.J. Smith) called me, and then I talked to Marty (head coach Schottenheimer) and the owner (Dean Spanos)."
A native of Plainville, Conn., the 6-2, 238-pound Koutouvides is the first linebacker in school history to be named first team All-Big Ten on two occasions (2002 and 2003). As a senior, he ranked second on the Boilermakers with 101 tackles after topping the team his junior season with 121 stops. Koutouvides was named the Connecticut Player of the Year by the Walter Camp Football Foundation following the 2002 season, and he ranks 18th on the Purdue career tackles list with 296.
Koutouvides is the first Purdue player to be drafted by Seattle since offensive tackle Bill Hitchcock in 1990 (eighth round, 202nd overall pick). Only two other Boilermaker alums have played for the Seahawks, offensive tackle Matt Hernandez (1983) and defensive end Chike Okeafor (2003-present).
"Seattle called me and said they were going to take me in the third round, but then they wound up taking an offensive guard (Sean Locklear from N.C. State), so I knew they were interested in me," Koutouvides said. "It's a great opportunity for me because they don't have a lot of linebackers. Now it's up to me to go win a spot. I'm just happy the draft part is over because I was getting pretty anxious."
A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., the 6-7, 334-pound Butler became the first Purdue player to enter the draft as an underclassman. He started all 38 games at right tackle the last three seasons. As a junior, he ranked second on the team with 36 pancake blocks and graded out at 80 percent or better in four games. Butler topped the 80-percent plateau five times his sophomore season. He was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2001.
The last Purdue player to be selected by the Lions was offensive guard Scott Conover in the fifth round of 1991.
A native of Lebanon, Ind., the 6-2, 294-pound Terrill earned second team All-Big Ten honors as a senior when he ranked sixth in the conference with 1.19 tackles for loss per game and seventh with 0.65 sacks. He recorded 38 tackles overall and recovered two fumbles. Terrill ranks fifth on Purdue's career sacks list with 20.5 and 10th with 33.5 tackles for loss.
"I'm pumped because I pretty much thought I would be a free-agent signee," Terrill said. "I knew Seattle was interested in me, but I didn't know if they would draft me. So when I saw my name pop up, I was excited. It's a great opportunity for me."
A native of Lancaster, Texas, the 5-11, 188-pound Reeves paced Purdue with nine pass breakups as a senior. He recorded 64 tackles and had two interceptions. Reeves ranks tied for 15th on the Purdue career interceptions list with seven. He won the 100 meters at the 2002 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a 10.41 clocking.
Reeves is the first Purdue player to be drafted by Dallas since linebacker Chuck Kyle went in the fifth round in 1969. Only three Boilermaker alums have played for the Cowboys: defensive back Tom Franckhauser (1960-61), linebacker Jim Schwantz (1994-96) and linebacker Fred Strickland (1996-98).
Purdue last had a fourth-round pick in 2002, when kicker-punter Travis Dorsch went to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Boilermakers' most-recent sixth-round selection was linebacker Joe Odom by the Chicago Bears in 2003, while offensive tackle Brandon Gorin was their latest seventh-round choice by the Chargers in 2001.
In the third round Saturday, Hardwick went to the Chargers (66th overall), free safety
Stuart Schweigert to the Oakland Raiders (67th overall), linebacker
Gilbert Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts (69th overall) and linebacker Landon Johnson to the Cincinnati Bengals (96th overall).
2004 NFL Draft Most NCAA Selections
Ohio State 14
PURDUE 9
Miami (Fla.) 9
LSU 7
Arkansas 6
Pittsburgh 6
2004 NFL Draft Big Ten Selections
Ohio State 14
PURDUE 9
Iowa 5
Michigan 4
Penn State 4
Wisconsin 3
Illinois 2
Michigan State 2
Minnesota 1
Indiana 0
Northwestern 0
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