2012 Draft - Round 1, Pick 28, Overall 28 - Nick Perry, DE, USC

Also, I feel that him being a Michigan native will really help us out. It means he will have a home base in Wisconsin AND in Michigan so HOPEFULLY all the Jet lag will not get too much, and he will hopefully feel like he isn't "stranded" in a foreign land. Should lead to more productive play.

Ah-yep.

The only worry I have now is whether Perry will be able to make the transition to OLB and be effective there. Effective meaning a) a beastly pass rusher from a stand-up position, b) setting the edge and catching RBs in the back-field, c) being able to cover a tight end or two.

This is my big question as well. He seems a bit apprehensive about it, but his film shows he has good balance/speed and hip fluidity. With a good coach and a solid offseason program I think he will be day 1 starter.

I had some reservations about Perry since, and due to, him saying he prefers to play DE in a 4-3 back at the combine. Before that, this guy was a beast IMO. Usually guys don't give an answer to that question, but he was honest. The thing is, he was used to putting his hand on the ground so that's what he felt comfortable doing. Doesn't mean he can't stand up like Orakpo, and dominate with his strength and speed combination.
It's tricky projecting guys to either 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB. Most guys can be great at one, but not effective at the other.
Aaron Kampman was a very good DE, but not a stand up OLB. Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney might be the opposite.

Nick Perry.
I think he's Brian Orakpo, who I think out-sacked Clay Matthews as the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2009 for Washington, out of Texas. Orakpo was big and strong, yet fast, like Perry. And his "negatives" were similar to what Perry's are. Stiff. Thick.


Brian Orakpo
6’4, 260 pounds | Defensive end/OLB | Texas

Strengths: Orakpo has a great initial burst off the line and closes quickly on the ball. Nicely drops back into coverage and understands his zone assignments. A top athlete for the position, Orakpo reportedly has a 40-inch vertical leap and a 600-pound squat. Possesses good functional playing strength, but has a frame that could handle more mass.

Weaknesses: The biggest question about Orakpo is his position. He has ideal size to be a 3-4 outside linebacker, but the strength to play 4-3 end. Doesn’t have the most awareness and can be fooled by misdirection plays. Relies too much on speed and strength instead of technique. Orakpo’s desire is questionable because it appears at time that he’ll take plays off. Needs to hustle more when a running play is past him.

Final word: No senior has helped himself as a pro prospect more this season than Orakpo. After starting the year possibly as a second-round player, he’s become the top senior defensive end in the nation. Slightly overlooked entering the season, Orakpo has emerged as a pass rush specialist.


Nick Perry
6’3, 270 pounds | Defensive end/OLB | USC

Strengths:

Vast repertoire of effective pass rushing moves. Finesse and power. Can work outside and inside.

Elite get-off. Explodes off the snap.

Does a great job using his hands. Knocks down blockers arms, and sets his moves up well.

Has the speed to go right around the edge.

Has good frame with room to be maxed out.

Good motor, and good in pursuit. Never quits on a play.

Very smooth athlete. Does a good job playing in space.

Weaknesses:

Not a reliable run stopper.

Will most likely have to move from a 3 point stance, to a 2 point.

Struggles to disengage from bigger O-Lineman.

Would like to see him get better "Bend" around the edge.

Final word:
I absolutely love Nick Perry, I think he is underrated, and feel that if used correctly, he will end up being a big time pass rusher in the league. Perry has a very specialized set of skills and is not a fit in every scheme, as he is a bit undersized, and is not that great against the run. If put in a 3-4 scheme where he can just be asked to attack the pass rusher, he will wreak havoc on backfields, and be a guy that demands a double team on almost every play.
Perry is an elite athlete with tremendous explosion, possessing the ability to just blow right by his man. He also is a skilled, and experienced pass rusher who knows how to use his hands to set up moves, get the blocker going one way, then beat them going the other way.
His rip, swim, and spin moves are very effective, but also has the ability to work inside with a good bull rush, and power his way to the Quarterback. I don't see any way where Perry gets drafted to a 4-3 team, so he will need to transition from a 3 point stance, to a 2 point stance, but I don't see that being a problem at all for Perry, considering how good an athlete he is.
He could potentially go as high as 16 to New York, but likely won't make it past the Patriots with either of their picks, who are desperate for a pass rusher.

-From NFLDraftGeek

I'm not as excited about this move as some people are. I'm a little worried that we may have drafted a player that doesn't have a position on our defense and I think Upshaw fell into that same category which is probably why he fell.

Perry has little experience rushing with his hand NOT in the dirt and he's about 15-20lbs too heavy for my liking. Perry seems more than strong enough to beat blocks but not the kind of agility you'd want in a guy that will be expected to keep contain, run in the flats and drop into coverage which our OLB's do a lot.

I think he'd have been more suited as a bookend in a 4-3.

I hope I'm wrong though. I hope he can be another Matthews off the edge. We'll see.


This has probably been discussed to death, but I didn't feel like reading through the whole thread

Perry is not the same as Matthews.
Like Woodley is bigger and stronger than his sidekick James Harrison, Perry is bigger and stronger than Clay.

But Perry is also fast as evidenced at the combine as well as on tape.

I've come around on Perry as I was an Upshaw guy at first, and then a Shea McLellin and then Bruce Irvin guy. You guys heard, saw me preaching about Irvin's amazing pass-rush ability.... even I didn't think he'd go anywhere near #15 as he did though.

I think Perry will be a beast. He's the best traits of each of So'oto, Walden, and Zombo rolled into one. And then some.

I agree with Michael Lombardi of NFL Network when he says Nick Perry reminds him of Lamarr Woodley. "Poor Man's Wood!"

lulz.

Good motor, and good in pursuit. Never quits on a play.

You know, one thing confuses me. Here one of Perry's strengths is that he has a high motor and doesn't quit. Then there are reservations by those who say that on film he can appear "soft."

Could someone please explain to me what that means, and how you can say he never quits but he may be soft?

So do you guys think Perry will just start on that right side or do you see Matthews maybe moving back over to the right?

Here's the difference between Nick Perry and Upshaw. Ted Thompson felt that Upshaw couldn't cover anyone. He also felt that Nick Perry is athletic enough to cover. He saw Nick Perry as the superior pass rusher. With all of these qualities and the fact that he targeted him before the draft made Perry the easy pick. This is all of what TT and Dom Capers have said.

/agree. Being a superior pass rusher is more important that being an all-around better player unless that all-around player really excels at something specific. Upshaw doesn't as far as I can see. That's not to say he isn't good, but the Packers need someone above all who can be opposite of Matthews, get into the backfield, get after the QB and create disruption in the backfield. Perry appears the better choice to do that.

Also, about the criticisms of Perry being a 1-trick pony I have this to say: Jean-Pierre Paul is something of a 1-trick pony too. He's not very good at run defense, he's ok at dropping back into coverage, but he's a beast of a pass rusher. That's the kind of 1-trick pony I'll gladly take any day.

He was 15-20 lbs lighter back at the combine. He put on the weight expecting to be a bookend.

Doesn't everybody remember that GB got killed for taking CM3? Not many rookies come out of college with no weaknesses and fitting perfectly into a system. Perry has the speed, size and atleticism to be a monster for GB. I like the pick more than Upshawn, Branch or Curry.

Me too. I think some are really underestimating his athleticism and over stating the effect of scheme fit. This guy can't be compared to Aaron Kampman as Kampman was not even in the same realm of athleticism as Perry. Not to mention Perry is a young rookie and isn't "set in his ways yet." Also, as a good defensive coordinator, you find a way to put players like this in position to succeed. He won't be forced into some rigid scheme, or at least he shouldn't be. Capers needs to be creative with his ability and find ways to allow him to do what he does best: rush the passer.

The same thing goes with Worthy. Caper's is going to have a ton of flexibility in his play calling this season and I expect to see more exotic zone-blitz packages again this season.

Looking back now on this thread several days after the draft I'm sorry to say I'm not all that thrilled about Perry. What you look for is an athlete who can convert those skills to the faster and bigger pro game.
Perry has the physical skills no doubt....for a 4-3 defensive end which is what he was in college.
It really concerns me he never played a down in college at linebacker. Those skills are not necessarily interchangeable. You will see teams set up plays to mark him as a target in coverage. It shows me why the Packers signed Walden before the draft. They are covered if and when Perry's cover skills come around. He will be a situational blitzer.
Clay Matthews played linebacker, not defensive end, at USC. So this pick has me more worried than the rest of them.
I hope he can make the transition and become a Woodley...but trying to make a DE into a linebacker isn't always successful.
Getting Worthy in the second round also takes some of the pressure off. I thought rounds two and three for the Packers were home runs.

That's a valid concern IMO net, but the downside on this pick for me is he becomes an above average NFL pass rusher and is "only" used in the nickel and dime, which Capers plays the majority of the time anyway. If he's not at least that, then they just missed on his physical potential or his motivation. The other thing worth mentioning is he'll get fantastic coaching from Greene and he's more physically gifted than Jones, Walden, Zombo etc. What I would love to know is Greene's opinion of him - not for public consumption but what he really thinks. I remember being very relieved/excited upon learning that Greene advocated for the Matthews pick.

Round 3?

Lamarr Woodley played almost exclusively at defensive line, too. Yes, he did move to line-back sometimes, but definitely not often. And as Jack says, even if he does only turn out to be a pass rusher, it's still a good pick. It's a passing league and Caper's wants to get to his sub-packages as quickly as possible anyway. As I've said, as long as this guy becomes a feared pass rusher, it was a great pick. Caper's will put him in position to succeed. Even B.J. Raji can be effective at times dropping in short zones during a zone-blitz. With Perry's superior athleticism, I am not worried about him moving in space, especially considering he won't be asked to do it often. Even when he is, it will be easy tasks, and if not, that's Dom's fault. Perry ran a 4.64 forty at the combine, best among projected defensive linemen and tied for 7th for linebackers (being literally only one-one hundredths of a second beyond the top few guys in front of him).

I'm not concerned about Perry at all. Focus on rushing the passer and slowly develop minimal skills as in coverage. His main responsibilities: rushing the passer and playing the run/sealing the edge should come naturally to him. Some seem to act like he will be in coverage often. I don't see that happening, especially his first season. The real wild cards of the defense will now be CM3 and Woodson.

Finally get to see him in action tomorrow night!! "Much excite" - Borat.

Can't sleep, too excited. GO PACK GO!

I thought he was a great athlete coming out of college. I wasn't so sold on him transitioning to OLB in a 3-4. This obviously would take time. He also admitted before the draft, he didn't want too. Nonetheless, the Packers drafted him and he made the switch.

He started out looking really adapted until he got matched up in pass coverage, there his skills/ instincts stuttered. Needs a 2nd pass rush move other then the bull rush to rely on. Although his speed certainly helps in that case. Don't see him becoming a consistent performer until the middle-end of the year. Walden will fill in nicely until then. But when he starts to fully figure out that position, he'll be solid.

What I don't understand is... why don't they just do what the 9ers did with Aldon Smith (another 4-3 DE transitioning to OLB in their 3-4 scheme) and "ease" him in by using him in purely pass rushing situations on obvious passing plays (3rd and longs)? That obviously worked out well, 14 sacks in just his rookie season, and DROY.

He ain't got the moves, what's the use when they know what's coming?