Ronnie
Perkins.
Ronnie
Perkins.
Oklahoma· 6'2"· 253 lb· 4.71s 40
"A poor-man's Trey Hendrickson without the length — the same technique-and-motor profile, but with tighter athletic testing and shorter arms that cap the pass-rush ceiling."Pre-draft read
Perkins projects as a strong-side base end, winning with power, hand technique, and length. He aligns predominantly as a 4i/5-technique in odd fronts from a two-point stance. He excels as a run defender, setting a firm edge using a stacked-and-shed technique, and maintains separation with his 33-inch arms. He quickly diagnoses inside runs to close on pulling guards.
As a pass rusher, his primary method of winning is a long-arm/push-pull combo that builds bull-rush pressure, converting to an inside counter when tackles overset. His hand independence and rush plan are advanced despite athletic limitations including average first-step quickness, a stiff bend profile hindering speed rushes, and short-area burst that rarely finishes plays behind the line of scrimmage.
The New England Patriots' hybrid front, rooted in a Fangio-style two-high coverage shell, emphasizes versatile defensive linemen who can execute multiple gap assignments while maintaining rush lane integrity.
Perkins is a year one strong-side defensive end who provides a high-floor run defense, setting the edge and containing on early downs, with a ceiling as a situational power rusher on passing downs.
A Wide-9 attacking front that prioritizes pure speed and bend from its edge rushers would devalue Perkins's power-centric game and run defense acumen, exposing his athletic limitations.
Perkins's technical proficiency and power at the point of attack make him a solid fit for a scheme that prioritizes setting the edge and versatile alignment over explosive athletic traits at DE.
Ronnie Perkins College Highlights | DE, Oklahoma (New England Patriots)
Team-produced college highlight package covering his run defense edge-setting and power-rush wins at Oklahoma.
Oklahoma DE Ronnie Perkins 2020 Highlights
2020 Big 12 season cutup showing the 5.5-sack, 12.5-TFL run against tackles including Longhorns and Cowboys fronts.
Ronnie Perkins (DE, Oklahoma) Scouting Report — 2021 NFL Draft
Pre-draft scouting breakdown detailing hand technique, run-defense floor, and pass-rush plan limitations.
Perkins entered the 2021 evaluation as a day-two edge prospect on tape, presenting as a high-floor run defender with a functional power-rush plan. His ability to set a firm edge with his length and hand usage, combined with a developed pass-rush plan, projected him as a strong-side base end capable of immediate contribution against the run. At 6'3" and 253 pounds, with 33-inch arms, he offered the physical dimensions for the role.
He was utilized as a 4i/5-technique in an odd-front system and stood out with 5.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in seven games during a truncated 2020 season, earning first-team All-Big 12 recognition. This production came against Big 12 tackles, including future NFL starters. His usage highlighted a player who could contribute effectively even with less than a full complement of games.
Evaluators noted flags including two college suspensions and an average athletic testing profile from his pro day, which raised concerns about his pass-rush ceiling. These factors suggested a technique-based rotational role rather than a starter path. Consensus slotted him in the late third to early fourth round as a developmental strong-side piece; he was drafted at pick 96 by the New England Patriots.
- 01
Run defense floor
A set-the-edge base end with 33-inch arms, stacked-and-shed hand usage, and clean diagnosis on inside zone and pulls, a key trait for immediate NFL contribution.
- 02
Hand technique and pass-rush plan
Uses a long-arm/push-pull combination with an inside counter; his hand independence and rush plan are more advanced than his athletic testing indicated.
- 03
Big-game production
Registered 5.5 sacks and 12.5 TFL in seven games in 2020, along with six sacks in 2019, all against Big 12 tackles on a compressed sample.
- 04
Alignment versatility
Demonstrated reps as a 4i, 5-technique, and stand-up strong-side edge in an odd-front system, offering hybrid-scheme value.
- 05
Power at the point
Possesses a legitimate anchor and reset ability against down blocks and pin-and-pull concepts, holding up against tight ends or tackles without displacement.
- 01
Athletic profile
Pro day testing was average across all drills, indicating no elite markers, which narrowed his pass-rush projection to a rotational role.
- 02
First-step quickness
His get-off out of a three-point stance was ordinary, necessitating wins through hand technique and power rather than beating tackles off the ball.
- 03
Bend and corner ability
Exhibited stiff hip flexion and a linear turn at the top of the rush arc, limiting his capacity to convert speed rushes into edge pressure.
- 04
Off-field flags
Had two college suspensions for marijuana, adding risk assessment questions to a profile already possessing athletic ceiling concerns.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.71sp50
- Vertical
- 32inp50
- Broad jump
- 115inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- 4.69sp50
- Bench
- 25repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Oklahoma | 14 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | Oklahoma | 13 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Oklahoma | 6 | 23 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | — | 33 | 98 | 16.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Rotational strong-side edge who contributes as a run defender and situational power rusher without becoming a full-time starter — the outcome the athletic profile pointed toward before the medical situation intervened.
Aspirational outcome as a technique-first strong-side edge who grows into a starter-level pass rusher through hand plan and scheme fit rather than raw athletic upside — the ceiling if the pro-day testing sold Perkins short.
Day-two edge whose NFL career never gets off the ground due to acclimation, medical, or role-fit issues and washes out within two seasons of the rookie deal — the floor the Perkins outcome ultimately matched.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
One of the clearest Day 2 busts of the 2021 class. Ronnie Perkins never dressed for a regular-season game as a New England Patriot. He spent the entire 2021 season on injured reserve after being inactive for the first thirteen weeks, then was placed on injured reserve again in August 2022 before the season began, wiping out his second year without a single defensive snap. New England released him at final cuts in August 2023, re-signed him to the practice squad, and lost him weeks later when Denver poached him off it. His Broncos tenure followed the same pattern: a brief look, a waiver, a practice-squad re-sign, a reserve/future contract, then a waived/injured designation in August 2024 that shifted him to injured reserve and, ultimately, a release the following month. Arizona gave him a short practice-squad look in the fall of 2024 and waived him in December. In 2025 he signed with the UFL's Birmingham Stallions, went on injured reserve in May, resurfaced briefly on Atlanta's practice squad in August and was released a week later. He returned to the Stallions in early 2026 and was released three days after signing. Career NFL totals: seven games played, thirteen tackles, zero sacks. In a draft class that produced multiple All-Pros, Perkins is the archetype of a Day 2 pick undone by medicals, athletic limitations and the positional puzzle that scouts had flagged before the pick was ever made.
**Pre-draft context.** Ronnie Perkins arrived at Oklahoma as a four-star edge from St. Louis and immediately gave an attacking four-man front a legitimate power rusher on the strong side. Listed at 6'3" and 253 pounds with 33-inch arms, he flashed as a true freshman in 2018 and broke out in 2019 with six sacks and 12 tackles for loss before a five-game suspension to open 2020 (a positive marijuana test that also cost him the 2019 Peach Bowl) truncated his final college season. Even on a compressed sample, Perkins finished 2020 with 5.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in seven games and closed on an upward trajectory, earning first-team All-Big 12 recognition. Consensus board slotted him in the late-third to early-fourth range: an SEC-caliber power rusher whose production and hand technique were legitimate but whose off-field flag, average testing profile, and short-area burst kept him behind the top edge tier.
**NFL fit — New England Patriots.** The New England Patriots selected Perkins at 96 as a developmental strong-side edge to fit into a hybrid front that had cycled through Chase Winovich, John Simon, and Kyle Van Noy at that role. The projection made sense on paper: heavy-handed set-the-edge defender who could play the run at a plus level from day one and grow the pass-rush arsenal over the rookie contract in a system that valued technique and versatility over pure athletic upside. The team historically bet on high-effort SEC/Big 12 edges with hand technique, and Perkins fit that template.
**Retrospective.** The pick did not work. Perkins was placed on the reserve/non-football-injury list before the 2021 season with an undisclosed issue and never appeared in a regular-season game as a rookie; New England released him in August 2022 without a single NFL snap. He caught on with practice squads (Chicago in 2022, Atlanta later) and briefly appeared on the Falcons' active roster in 2023, but never established a rotational NFL role. His career line as of the current cycle sits at effectively zero meaningful production — one of the flat-out misses of the 2021 Patriots class and a cautionary datapoint about combining a medical unknown with a non-elite athletic profile at a premium position.