Perry Looks to End Ivy League QB Draft Drought
The Ivy League has produced numerous NFL players in recent years at positions other than quarterback.
While there were 12 Ivies on NFL opening-day 53-man rosters in 2021, there hasn't been an Ivy League signal-caller selected in the NFL Draft since 2005 when the St. Louis Rams made Harvard's Ryan Fitzpatrick the 250th overall pick.
Brown's E.J. Perry appears poised to end that drought.
The reigning Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year (2021 Bushnell Cup Winner) has watched his draft stock rise following his participation in the East West Shrine Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine.
Perry, who passed for 3,033 yards in 10 games at Brown last fall, won the Offensive Most Valuable Player award at the 2022 Shrine Bowl. The 6-foot-1 field general went 13-of-18 passing for 241 yards and three second-half touchdowns for the East Team. He also added two 2-point conversions on quarterback runs.
Leaving the No. 2 quarterback post at Boston College to play for his uncle (Brown head coach James Perry), Perry paced the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in total offense (367.8 yards per game) during the 2019 season.
“The Brown signal-caller has been on our radar for several years, but his performance during the week of East-West Shrine practice really planted his stake in the ground in terms of being able to compete at a high level against top competition," said NFL Draft Bible founder Ric Serritella.
Perry, who is projected as a Day-3 draft pick by Serritella, appeared equally impressive operating in a completely different setting one month later. The two-time All-Ivy League first-team quarterback produced eye-opening numbers at the Combine.
Perry accounted for the fastest 3-cone drill (6.85) and 20-yard shuttle (4.18) times among all quarterback participants in Indianapolis.
He posted the second-fastest 40-yard dash among signal-callers at the Combine, clocking in at 4.65 to finish between Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder (4.52) and Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett (4.73).
The NFL's @NextGenStats calculated an 89 "athleticism score" for Perry, who led all players at his position. Ridder (82) and Pickett (79) ranked second and third, respectively.
According to Serritella, Perry's athleticism is evident on video.
"Perry showcases the ability to make all the throws, connect with accuracy on the run, can dip arm angles if forced to make off-platform throws and is possibly the smartest quarterback in the draft," said Serritella.
Analysts also dubbed Fitzpatrick to be the smartest quarterback in his draft class 17 years ago. The former Harvard economics student has enjoyed a wildly successful professional career for being one of the final picks in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Fitzpatrick, who has seen game action with eight different NFL franchises over a 17-year career, has passed for 34,990 yards (the 32nd-highest total in league annals). He is one of only 37 quarterbacks to have fired more than 220 career touchdown passes (223).
Other than his near-perfect Wonderlic test score, however, Fitzpatrick's NFL Combine results did not warrant much attention. He finished in the bottom half of quarterback participants in the broad jump, vertical jump, three-cone drill and 40-yard dash.
As Fitzpatrick nears the end of his NFL career, Perry enters the draft as arguably the most athletic at his position.
Perhaps more revealing than any testing result, Perry was caught on camera while cleaning up the bench area in Lucas Oil Stadium following his Combine workout. The moment, which was captured by NFL Network personality Kimmi Chex, went viral on social media.
Perry's entrance into the NFL would double the number of Brown Bears currently in the league. Defensive lineman Michael Hoecht, who began his professional career as an undrafted free agent in 2020, played in every game and started three for the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
Serritella surmised that Perry has the potential to find a home for himself in the NFL.
"He doesn’t lack for confidence and at times took it upon himself too much to try and make things happen, but he had full freedom running the Bears ‘Air Raid’ attack,” Serritella concluded. “Once he gets with NFL coaching, he will reel in some of those turnovers and possesses the upside to be a very capable backup for a long time in the league where they play for pay."
Follow NFL Draft Bible contributor Ralph Ventre on Twitter (@RealestRalph)
