2021 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Ronnie Perkins

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Ronnie Perkins, 6-2/253 Outside Linebacker Oklahoma

Ronnie Perkins Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Dangerous pass rusher

Quick off the ball

Burst up the field

Plays hard

Strength

Active hands

Awareness to go for the strip

Will pursue in the ground game

Has a burst to close when running free

Keeps eyes on scrambling quarterbacks

Weaknesses:

Has some stiffness

Can get pushed around in run defense

Will have problems as a run defender in the NFL

Should continue to develop pass-rushing moves

Too undersized for every-down defensive end

Too stiff for outside linebacker

Summary: Over the past three years, Perkins was one of the most consistent and dangerous edge rushers in the Big XII. He made an immediate impact for the Sooners as a freshman, recording five sacks and 37 tackles in a solid debut. He was even better as a sophomore, totaling 38 tackles and six sacks while starting 13 games. A failed drug test led to him being suspended for Oklahoma’s playoff game against LSU, and that suspension carried over for five games in 2020. In his shortened season, Perkins notched 24 tackles and 5.5 sacks.

As a pass rusher, Perkins is quick off the edge and really is an aggressive defender to work upfield with disruption in the backfield. He has a burst off the ball and the ability to get leverage on offensive tackles. While Perkins lacks length, he has some strength in his upper body to lean into backpedaling tackles and get them rolling backward. Perkins shows some active hands and an ability to adjust to scrambling quarterbacks. For the next level, Perkins has some stiffness and needs to continue to develop his pass-rushing moves.

Perkins has some limitations for the ground game in the NFL due to being short, lacking length, and being underweight. Strong offensive tackles in college were able to push him around and knock him out of his gap. That will continue in the NFL, where he will have issues becoming a good run defender. With his stiffness, Perkins is not a good fit to move to outside linebacker, he might be limited in the pros to playing as designated pass rusher.

“[Perkins is] a good backup to me,” said an area scout. “I graded him in the fourth round and think he is a backup right defensive end.”

Perkins looks likely to be a third- or fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.



Player Comparison: Shaq Barrett. Some team sources said Perkins’ style of play at Oklahoma was similar to Barrett, and they are almost identical in size. Those sources, however, do not believe Perkins will be as good or as productive as Barrett has become in the NFL.

2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville Jhamon Ausbon, WR, Texas A&M Aaron Banks, G, Notre Dame Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama Carlos Basham, DE, Wake Forest Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas Jabril Cox, LB, LSU Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame D'Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State Paris Ford, S, Pittsburgh Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State Kenny Gainwell, RB, Memphis Richie Grant, S, Central Florida Najee Harris, RB, Alabama Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State Trey Hill, C, Georgia Jevon Holland, S, Oregon Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina James Hudson, OT, Cincinnati Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State Mac Jones, QB, Alabama Patrick Jones, DE, Pittsburgh Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama Walker Little, OT, Stanford Hunter Long, TE, Boston College Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan Tre' McKitty, TE, Georgia Davis Mills, QB, Stanford Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU Elijah Molden, CB, Washington Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M Dan Moore Jr., OT, Texas A&M Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina Jamie Newman, QB, Wake Forest Greg Newsome, CB, Northwestern Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa Dayo Odeyingbo, DE, Vanderbilt Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA Azeez Ojulari, LB, Georgia Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington Joseph Ossai, LB, Texas Jayson Oweh, DE, Penn State Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah, LB, Notre Dame Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan Ronnie Perkins, OLB, Oklahoma Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota Aaron Robinson, CB, Central Florida Quincy Roche, OLB, Miami Larry Rountree, RB, Missouri Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon Tyler Shelvin, DT, LSU Rashawn Slater, C, Northwestern DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama D'Ante Smith, OT, East Carolina Trey Smith, G, Tennessee Marquez Stevenson, WR, Houston Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Oklahoma Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida Kyle Trask, QB, Florida Joe Tryon, DE, Washington Jay Tufele, DT, USC Payton Turner, DE, Houston T.J. Vasher, WR, Texas Tech Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT, USC Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State Rashad Weaver, DE, Pittsburgh Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina Rodarius Williams, CB, Oklahoma State Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

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