If you had told anyone three years ago that LSU phenom Harold Perkins Jr. would be a sixth-round pick in the NFL Draft, no one would have believed you. Yet, here we are. Thankfully, the Atlanta Falcons were the team that was able to capitalize on his harrowing fall from grace last weekend.
The Falcons were able to nab the talented linebacker with the 215th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. This was a player everyone was talking about as potentially developing into a top-five pick when his time came, but injuries and his lack of size catapulted all the way down the board to the end of Round 6.
There is a growing consensus that the Dirty Birds got a steal in the 21-year-old as, long-time draft analyst and ESPN writer Matt Miller had him listed as his 87th-best pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. While it is nice to see attention coming this way, that ranking is too low.
"Perkins is a talented player who flashed at times at LSU, especially early in his career, but never seemed to get fully comfortable," Miller wrote. "He was moved around constantly, serving as a pass rusher, linebacker and even slot defender. Now he'll have the opportunity to learn one position under defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, and the hope is that Atlanta unleashes his speed at off-ball linebacker. Perkins' ceiling could be as an Azeez Al-Shaair-level player."
Matt Miller gave the Falcons props for drafting Harold Perkins Jr., but not enough
Miller wrote about how Perkins Jr. "flashed at times" and never seemed to get "fully comfortable." He says he can be an Azeez Al-Shaair-type player with Jeff Ulbrich unleashing him.
So why isn't this ranking higher? The Falcons landed an incredibly gifted player who clearly wasn't used correctly with the Bayou Bengals. The Falcons landed him in the sixth round; the risk vs. reward significantly tilts toward reward. There isn't any risk.
These are the types of picks that warrant the 'steal' label. Perkins should've never been a bottom-50 pick. As a freshman, he was being talked about as a potential top pick in the draft. His production dipped after his first two years due to an ACL tear, but his talent didn't go anywhere.
His slight build is certainly a concern at the pro level; everyone is bigger, faster, and stronger. But he has elite athleticism that could turn him into an elite player. Just watch some of his pass-rush reps in the SEC; his bend and burst are incredible, and Ulbrich will live for his versatility along the front seven.
Miller listed him as his No. 111 overall player -- 104 picks off where he was drafted. It is hard to imagine him ranking all the down at 87. But seeing a guy drafted outside the top 200 on a list like this at all is a testament to how well Atlanta fared in the draft.
Thankfully,, Avieon Terrell makes an appearance earlier in the article after coming in at No. 16. Hopefully, both of these guys will live up to their tremendous talent and the hype Miller gave them.
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