EDGE, Oklahoma
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 245 lbs
Class: Junior
Ronnie Perkins is another name in a long list of talented 2021 edge defenders. A four-star recruit out of high school, Perkins has been a three-year starter in Oklahoma and two-time Second Team All-Big 12 member. His time with the Sooners was disrupted by a suspension, but he finished his collegiate career in style and was one of the nation’s best edge rushers down the stretch.
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Strengths
Perkins is coming into the draft on the back of an incredibly impressive junior season. He missed the first five games due to a suspension, but he was arguably the best pass rusher in college football once he returned. Perkins generated 32 pressures through six games on just 176 pass rushing snaps. His 24.7 per cent pass rush win rate ranks fourth amongst the last two draft classes. Kwity Paye (26.5 per cent) is the only 2021 prospect who surpassed Perkins’ mark.
Perkins is one of the most explosive pass rushers in this year’s draft. He is a great athlete, who showcases excellent burst and short area quickness. There were even plays on tape where he chased down wide receivers and running backs in the open field. His speed off the line of scrimmage causes a tonne of problems for offensive tackles and Perkins routinely beat them to the edge. He combines this speed and athleticism with great bend and Perkins plays with consistently great leverage. Oklahoma didn’t ask him to drop into coverage, but Perkins has the athleticism to do so if required.
Perkins isn’t the biggest edge rusher in this year’s class, but he already possesses very powerful hands. He does an excellent job at converting speed to power and is able to knock tackles back into the pocket. The clip below is from the game against Oklahoma State and Perkins is facing Teven Jenkins, a potential first round tackle in his own right. Jenkins is 6’6″ and 310 lbs, but you wouldn’t know it by the way Perkins is able to move him with a long arm move.
The thing that separates Perkins from a lot of smaller edge rushers is his ability against the run. He is great at setting the edge and is smart when he is the read man on option plays. Perkins possesses the length to work through traffic and disengage from blockers in order to make the play. He was often in the backfield and he finished the year with 10.5 tackles for loss in his six games. He posted a 90.7 PFF run defense grade, which led all draft eligible edge rushers. Perkins was in fact the only draft eligible player with 90+ PFF grades as both a pass rusher and run defender.
Weaknesses
The biggest red flag with Perkins concerns his suspension from Oklahoma. Perkins and running back Rhamondre Stevenson both tested positive for marijuana during the 2019 playoffs. It caused them to miss the Peach Bowl against LSU and five games at the start of this season. In truth, this kind of thing won’t have a major impact on his draft stock. That said, teams will want to to their due diligence and some may have concerns.
In terms of his on-field performances, Perkins’ production in 2020 was a notable outlier. He had been a distinctly average player for the Sooners in his freshman and sophomore seasons and we have only seen six games of elite production. Over a third of his pressures this season also came in one game against Kansas. Perkins has shown promise as a pass rusher, but teams will want to see him combine his moves more effectively. At the moment, he offers little else if his initial plan fails and will need to diversify his approach to have success in the NFL.
Bottom Line
Perkins is one of the most explosive prospects in this year’s draft. Whilst his sample size in 2020 was small, his production was elite. He offers ideal athleticism for the position and is comfortable against both the run and the pass. He still needs to refine his game, but he offers real upside.
Big Board Rank: #36
Positional Rank: #6
