To cap off the first NFL Draft with their new regime, the Atlanta Falcons took a major swing to end things. With the 215th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Falcons selected LSU edge rusher/linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., a defender who was looked at as a potential top-five draft pick not too long ago.
Perkins is a player whose talent is clear. The upside is there for him if he can carve out a consistent role. But that's a big if. The Falcons are absolutely loaded off the edge, and since the 21-year-old is still a bit of a project, NFL Draft expert Marcus Mosher thinks he's gonna have to earn his role.
"Perkins looked like a sure-fire first-round pick after his freshman season, but was never able to quite return to form. He played multiple positions for LSU and never truly found a home. In the NFL, he's going to be an undersized linebacker who does his best work as a blitzer. But until he sees the field, expect Perkins to be a core special teamer."
Harold Perkins Jr. is not going to have an immediate role for the Falcons' defense
Mosher noted that even though Perkins got off to a sensational start to his college career, he was unable to return to form after a 2024 ACL tear. The other issue with him is that he's too small to be an every-down edge rusher, and as a linebacker on the smaller side, he doesn't offer much in coverage.
He mentioned Perkins does his best work as a blitzer, and if you watched him in college, you'd know that's true. He lived in the backfield in his first two years at LSU, so for a Dirty Birds' pass-rush room riddled with question marks behind Jalon Walker, he is worth taking a shot on outside the top 200.
In the NFL, it doesn't matter who you are or when you were drafted. Nothing is given and everything is earned, so if Perkins is committed to proving he can return to form, he'll have to pay his dues a bit and work his way up through the special teams.
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