Colts Should Go ‘Old School’ With Denzel Perryman in Draft
A few weeks ago, I had the Indianapolis Colts taking LaEl Collins from LSU in the first round, and while I still want that to happen, Collins is moving up draft boards like I suspected he would.
Nov 9, 2013; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes linebacker Denzel Perryman (52) in the second quarter of a game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
So with Collins likely off the board, the Colts will have to shift their direction elsewhere. And with the adds in free agency thus far for the Colts, they should shift their attention to inside linebacker.
D’Qwell Jackson is likely facing some sort of suspension after his recent arrest, and the future of Jerrell Freeman after 2015 is completely up in the air. Both are solid players, but none are the future leaders of the defense.
Enter Denzel Perryman. Inside linebacker from Miami.
Perryman is identical on paper to Freeman, as he is listed at 5’11” and 236 pounds, while Freeman is at 6’0, 240 pounds. He has 36 starts under his belt at Miami, and is a player that could come in right away and could play both special teams and rotate in with Freeman and Jackson.
His 40 time will not wow you at 4.78, but he is a stout linebacker that possesses a lot of power. He had 27 reps on the bench press at the combine. For the rest of his drills, click HERE.
He is elite in the run game, something we all know the Colts need help in, and one scout loved his toughness on tape, and I have to agree.
"“I have a little higher grade on Perryman than I probably should, but we like thumpers and badasses inside and he’s both,”-NFL Scout"
And after watching film, I love what I have seen:
If he gets an arm on a runner, he brings them down, which I have watched over and over again:
However, just like with any player, there are some weaknesses he needs to work on. For Perryman, it is his inability to cover running backs out of the backfield. His coverage skills need developed, as he was beat quite a few times in coverage the last few seasons at Miami:
Still, he has also shown the ability to close quickly in coverage, especially on screens:
The last thing he will need to work on is the abillity to shed off blockers. Too many times did I see him come to a stalemate when rushing the passer. The hand work is a minor thing for now as it can be worked on, and the Colts will not be asking him to earn his money in getting to the quarterback.
Either way, if Perryman is still on the board in day two for the Colts, he’d be worthy of a selection. I am sure the Colts already have him on their radar, and possibly for the first round, as the reach on Bjoern Werner was evident a few years back, and Perryman has the potential to be an every down starter for the Colts in the future.
It will be interesting to see how he looks during his pro day on April 1st. For now, I hope the Colts take a serious look at Perryman early in this year’s NFL Draft.
(Videos Courtesy of DraftBreakdown.com)