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62 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATE VOLUME 26, ISSUE 3 mechanical, especially early in the spring, in everything he did," Park- er said. "It was like every study of how he ran, whatever he was do- ing, he was doing exactly what ev- erybody told him because he didn't have many bad habits. So it's been (about) coaching freelance into him, to not make him so mechani- cal. That's probably the biggest im- provement he's made, get open on routes and do some stuff outside of exactly what we tell him. "He's got enough in-game reps where it's going to certainly cata- pult him into next year to be able to compete for more playing time." TIGHT END Brycen Hopkins and Jess Trussell worked on Purdue's scout team, but they still got valuable instruction from first-year tight ends coach Ter- ry Malone during individual periods and meetings. "I really am happy both of those guys are here," Malone said in November. "They're both smart. They're both eager to learn. They both need development in terms of physical strength and knowledge of the game, but you look at them and really can picture them fitting into a spot that can help us win." Hopkins' father, Brad, had a 13- year NFL career, but Brycen only started playing football in high school. He was more of a basketball player then, and that athleticism and foot speed showed up in Pur- due practices with the scout team. But there are more important el- ements Hopkins is working on, too: And there's a foundation to build. "That's an NFL frame right there," Malone said of Hopkins, who was listed at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. His dad was a great football player. I really think he's going to be a re- ally terrific football player for us. He hasn't played a lot of football, so his knowledge of the game jumps every single week. That's what we're fo- cused on." OFFENSIVE LINE With the departure of two seniors and the career-ending shoulder in- jury to J.J. Prince, Purdue's offen- sive line could need its youngsters up front to contribute soon. The Boilermakers played two redshirt freshmen (Martesse Patterson and Kirk Barron) in 2015, and there's a chance one of the current crop of freshmen could make his way into the two-deep for 2016. To do so, all will need to get phys- ically stronger, as is common with young linemen, and there will need to be significant strides made in the weight room in the offseason. But, besides that, Jim Bridge likes how his group responded in their first season as redshirts. Michael Mendez has one semes- ter's worth of knowledge and prac- tice more than Matt McCann and Peyton Truitt after arriving early. That spring semester was a big one for Mendez, an intelligent player who was able to take instruction from Bridge and teammates to try to get in tune with the system. As the season progressed, Mendez was on the second-team unit, getting snaps all over the front, at guard and tackle. "Mike's maybe a guy who could play multiple positions because he's so cerebral and his body type is so neutral. You look at a guy like that is maybe a five-position guy," Bridge said in late-November of the 6-4, 282-pound Mendez. "He's pretty smart in the classroom, on the prac- tice field. He works hard. He gets it. He's intelligent. There's still a lot of reps (needed) because it's still a little fast in his eyes, the game just needs to slow down for him. (But) it's not a knowledge-based thing." McCann and Truitt largely worked with the scout team offense but also got some snaps with the 2s in practices, and they showcased some aggressive tendencies. Bridge called the 6-6, 315-pound McCann "big enough" and "tough enough," but McCann needs to con- tinue to make improvements with technique and gain a better grasp of the offense. "Matt is bigger, longer, people think Matt could be a tackle, but the way Matt plays the game with his demeanor and aggression and toughness, you're staring at a guy who very easily could be a guard, too," Bridge said. "It's not just body size. It's also sometimes tempera- ment on how they play. Guards are in there beating with 300-pounders and tackles have sometimes more of the athletes, so that's all part of that blend we're talking about." Truitt, a 6-5, 295-pounder who played more tackle this year, looked like a natural pass blocker, Bridge said. Bridge would like to see Truitt increase his aggression, especially in the run game, but Bridge hopes that'll come with more strength and experience.