It hasn't taken long for the Atlanta Falcons to learn they landed a total steal by drafting LSU LB Harold Perkins Jr. with the 215th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He turned heads in training camp to the point he's guaranteed to play a key role as a rookie--and even has a chance to start for this defense.
The biggest hole the Falcons have to fill this season is finding someone to replace Kaden Elliss' impact after he left in free aagency. A true jack-of-all-trades defender is very hard to find nowadays, but Jeff Ulbrich's defense may have found one outside the top 200--which makes him even rarer.
The Falcons know who Perkins Jr. is as a linebacker-- they saw that throughout the preseason. According to Pro Football Focus, his 81.7 PFF grade in the preseason was second among all rookie linebackers, second only to Arvell Reese of the New York Giants, who was selected 210 picks earlier.
Highest defensive grade among rookie LB this preseason
— PFF (@PFF) August 30, 2026
(min 20 snaps)
Arvell Reese 88.2
Harold Perkins Jr 81.7
Jack Kelly 81.4
Josiah Trotter 80.5
Tahj Chambers 80.4 pic.twitter.com/WqOPDn993C
But Elliss has proven that when a player has such special versatility, they need to be utilized as such.
The Atlanta Falcons need to capitalize on Harold Perkins Jr.'s versatility
But if Atlanta wants to see the sixth-round rookie make an Elliss-like impact for this defense, they can't just utilize him like your run-of-the-mill off-ball linebacker. Ulbrich can line him up off the edge to get to the QB and as an off-ball backer like the true tweener we know he's capable of becoming.
Frankly, it's insane that the Dirty Birds haven't considering using him as a SAM/EDGE more. They've kicked the tires on moving Brandon Dorlus a lot more frequently even though Perkins Jr. recorded more sacks (13.0) in his first two college seasons alone than Dorlus did in five college seasons (12.0).
In four seasons with the Tigers, the 22-year-old made 36 starts and recorded 220 career tackles, 35.5 TFLs, and 17 sacks. Those are the numbers of a true swiss army knife, and given how desperate the Falcons are for contributors off the edge, this is something you'd think would have more traction.
With Jalon Walker out for the season due to a torn ACL and James Pearce Jr. facing an eight-game suspension, the Falcons only have four edge rushers on the roster, and they are far from the most glamorous group: and with Kendal Daniels shining at LB2, perhaps Perkins can take on a new role.
Za'Darius Smith is about to turn 34 and coming out of retirement, Samson Ebukam is struggling to recapture his previous form after an Achilles tear, Jared Ivey was just claimed off of waivers, and Cameron Thomas is a career backup. What do you have to lose in terms of experimenting with Perk?
Jeff Ulbrich is the linebacker whisperer for a reason, and given how he utilized Kaden Elliss' versatility, the Falcons' EDGE woes are offering a runway to get even more out of one of their prized rookies.
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