When the Atlanta Falcons selected Harold Perkins Jr. with the 215th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, it instantly became clear they landed one of the steals of the draft. A guy who was once a top-10 talent before injuries hit going outside the top 200? You can't even fathom that level of robbery.
All summer long, the Perkins hype has been about him carving out a solid role in this linebacking room, but the buzz has taken off during training camp. He's consistently taken snaps with the first-team at inside linebacker, and the Falcons are ready to lean into his versatility with Jalon Walker out.
All summer long, the 21-year-old has proven time and time again why he was once one of the best young defenders in college football. With each passing day, the coaching staff has invested more and more trust in him--and the more first-team reps he gets, the more Perkins starts to look like a steal.
Harold Perkins Jr. is going to be one of the faces of this Falcons defense
Between Walker and Kaden Elliss, the Falcons have some big shoes to fill on their defense--but Perk is well-positoned to fill that role. What Atlanta is missing right now is their jack-of-all-trades defender who can fill the role Elliss left behind, and it appears that Harold Perkins Jr. will get his shot to do so. He makes plays all over the football field, and will offer a Walker-like impact that this unit needs.
Not only has Perkins been getting first-team reps at inside linebacker, he's started to move all around the defense since Walker went down. He got in some work with the edge rushers during Wednesday's practice, and it's starting to sound like he's the in-house favorite to replace the young star.
Every single day someone new is singing his praises, and the fact the Dirty Birds have invested this much trust in a sixth-round linebacker this quickly is telling of how they feel about him. He's carving out the perfect niche role as this defense's new swiss-army knife--and eventually the new Elliss.
Here's the thing with the LSU product: he can fully line up anywhere. He has:
- 600+ snaps as an edge rusher
- 900+ snaps as a box linebacker
- 700+ snaps in coverage
- 200+ snaps on special teams
The only reason Harold Perkins Jr. fell to the sixth round of the draft is because of injuries and he's a little undersized. However, that "tweener" role he plays is precisely what the Atlanta Falcons need right now--and his strong summer is about to make 31 other teams regret passing on him.
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