EJ Perry NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Brown QB

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HEIGHT: 6’1 5/8″

WEIGHT: 211

HAND: 9″

ARM: 32″

WINGSPAN: 6’3 1/2″

40-YARD DASH: 4.60

3-CONE: 6.85

SHUTTLE: 4.18

VERTICAL: 34.5″

BROAD: 10’3″

POSITIVES

— Very good athlete. Quick, springy runner with enough speed in the open field.

— Quick and consistent release.

— Above-average accuracy to all three levels with flashes of great touch.

— Functional pocket manager. Shows moments of sliding around while keeping eyes up.

— Effective outside the pocket. Athletic enough to create his own chances; throws comfortably on the move.

NEGATIVES

— Arm strength is average, at best. Can struggle driving the ball into tight windows or to the sideline.

— Play against pressure can be erratic.

— Decent decision-maker overall, but tends to be a beat late when working beyond his first read.

— Lacks a defining, game-changing trait despite being competent in most areas.

2021 STATISTICS

10 G, 296-445 (66.5%), 3,034 YDS (6.8 YPA), 23 TD, 14 INT, 111 ATT, 402 YDS (3.6 AVG), 7 TD

NOTES

— 2-star recruit in 2017.

— Began career at Boston College before transferring to Brown in 2019.

— Started 2019 and 2021 seasons at Brown (2020 canceled because of COVID-19).

— 2019 and 2021 first-team All-Ivy League.

OVERALL

EJ Perry checks a lot of boxes to be a competent NFL quarterback, but he lacks the dynamic traits of a premium pick at the position.

Perry brings solid mental aptitude for the position. Brown’s offense ran a fairly diverse set of passing concepts, and Perry handled the variety and responsibility well. He showed he can progress from one to two to three on his reads, though he does tend to be just a beat late even if he is generally on the right track. When paired with his quick release and above-average placement to all three levels, Perry can get the ball where it needs to be with consistency.

Perry is also a decent pocket manager. He needs to work on how effectively he throws when bodies are cluttering his space, but he shows moments of good pocket movement to avoid those scenarios to begin with. Perry can also get outside the pocket effectively. He is a quick, explosive athlete who can separate from defenders after bailing from the pocket. Perry typically throws well on the run, too.

Perry’s game is largely hindered by his lack of wow traits. Though he clears the bar for accuracy and athleticism, neither trait is good enough to be game-breaking. Likewise, Perry’s arm strength is average, at best, and he may struggle to fit upper-tier throws in the NFL. Perry is not an especially sharp and snappy processor, either, even though he does clear the bar for competency there as well.

In all, Perry boasts many traits to suggest he can keep a train on the tracks. The baseline processing skills, accuracy and athleticism are all there for Perry to be an effective spot starter type. Without any game-changing traits, however, Perry likely caps out as a high-level backup, particularly for offenses that live in more of a spread world.

GRADE: 6.4 (High-level Developmental Prospect – 5th Round)

PRO COMPARISON: Colt McCoy

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen