What Atlanta Falcons Can Expect from 6th Round Draft Pick Harold Perkins Jr.

The Falcons pick Harold Perkins Jr., a former five-star with first-round talent and sideline-to-sideline range.

While his career was slowed by injuries, Perkins Jr. once seemed on pace to be a first-round pick. | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a productive four-year career at LSU, the Atlanta Falcons have used a sixth-round pick (No.215) overall to select linebacker Harold Perkins Jr.

Big Perk to ATL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3OkNgsg1xN

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 25, 2026

Through four seasons at LSU, Perkins Jr. has totaled 220 tackles, 35.5 tackles-for-loss, 17 sacks, eight forced fumbles and five interceptions.

Upon arriving in Baton Rouge, he put together one of the best freshman seasons in program history, earning First-Team All-SEC honors and Freshman All-American recognition from multiple major outlets after leading the team with 7.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss while finishing with 72 tackles.

Harold Perkins Jr. is a true freshman *off-ball* linebacker bending like this my lord pic.twitter.com/SRvaakawDl

— Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) November 12, 2022

Last season, he earned Third-team All-SEC honors while totaling 56 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and tying for the team lead with three interceptions.

The former Tiger is Atlanta’s fifth pick and fourth defensive selection of the draft, joining Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell (Round 2, No.48), Oklahoma hybrid linebacker Kendal Daniels (Round 4, No. 134), Washington defensive tackle Anterio Thompson (Round 6, No.208) and Georgia receiver Zachariah Branch (Round 3, No.71).

How Does He Fit In Atlanta?

With the departure of Kaden Elliss to the New Orleans Saints in free agency, Divine Deablo is left as the team's only reliable starting off-ball linebacker.

Similarly to Daniels, Perkins Jr. has showcased enough athleticism to be plugged in at multiple spots, giving him the opportunity to provide immediate value for a team in need of depth in their linebacker unit.

While the LSU product has primarily been schemed to use his speed and ability to cover ground laterally as an outside linebacker, he has also started multiple games at middle linebacker throughout his collegiate career.

If he hadn’t suffered a season-ending ACL injury as a junior, he appeared well on his way to becoming a first-round pick after earning All-SEC honors in each of his first two collegiate seasons. As a high school recruit, Perkins Jr. was a five-star prospect who was ranked as the No.4 overall recruit in the Class of 2022.

While his injury history presents some risk, his 4.38-second 40-yard dash suggests he still possesses the explosiveness that made him so dynamic earlier in his collegiate career. He also posted a 10-foot-4 broad jump and a 35-inch vertical while measuring in at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds at LSU’s Pro Day.

He didn’t fall to the sixth round due to a lack of ability or experience, and in a system like Jeff Ulbrich’s ,which favors athletic linebackers who can operate sideline to sideline, it appears to be a strong fit.