Durkin's Prospect Watch: WR Breshad Perriman
By Dan Durkin--
(CBS) As is the case every year, prospects can send their stock soaring with strong pre-draft workouts. Central Florida wide receiver Breshad Perriman definitely falls into that category in the 2015 draft class. He had already received a favorable grade that prompted him to forgo his senior season, but his pro day numbers had scouts triple-checking their stopwatches.
So today we take a look at Perriman, one of the fastest-rising receiving prospects in the 2015 class.
WR Breshad Perriman (6-foot-1 3/4, 212 pounds, 21, Central Florida)
40-yard dash: 4.24--4.27
Vertical: 36 1/2"
Bench: 18
Arm: 32"
Bio: Perriman arrived in Orlando as an under-the-radar recruit who only played two years of high school football, but he was also a star track athlete who was also a Junior Olympic star.
Perriman appeared in every game as a true freshman, starting four games and finishing with 26 receptions for 388 yards and three touchdowns. That earned a spot on the Conference USA all-freshman team. As a sophomore, he started 10 games, snagging 39 receptions for 811 yards and four touchdowns. His 20.8 yards per reception mark led the team and earned him all-sophomore honorable mention honors. This past season, he finished the season with 50 receptions for 1,044 yards and nine touchdowns, again averaging more than 20 yards per reception, earning a spot on the All-American Athletic Conference first team.
In total, Perriman appeared in 39 games, making 27 starts and finishing his career with 115 receptions for 2,243 yards, 16 touchdowns (one touchdown for every seven receptions) and a 19.5 yards-per-reception average. He was also a member of the AAC all-academic team.
Pro outlook: Perriman's blazing 40-yard times of 4.24 and 4.27 at his pro day would've been the fastest times in Indianapolis. He didn't participate in drills at the combine due to a hamstring strain. He's an explosive athlete with game-changing straight-line speed to consistently take the top off of a defense.
Perriman combines his track speed with a thick build and a willingness to play in traffic. He's adept at tracking and high pointing deep passes as well as using his body as a shield over the middle to win contested throws. He's a strong open field runner who doesn't avoid contact, but he also has the feet and hips to navigate defenders and turn shorter completions into bigger gains.
Perriman's father, Brett, was a nine-year NFL veteran wide receiver, so he has the pedigree to match. The nuances of playing receiver at the NFL level involve setting up cornerbacks with your feet and a quiet body when entering and exiting your breaks at the top of a route, and Perriman shows skill in that area. He has excellent body control and balance but needs to get better at sharpening his cuts instead of rounding them off.
Given the competition he played against at Central Florida, Perriman was able to win frequently with athleticism alone. He will need to polish his technique and keep focus in every situation in the NFL. While he was a dependable receiver who generated chunks of yardage, he did have lapses in concentration and dropped some catchable passes.
Draft projection: With his size-to-speed ratio, Perriman has put himself in the conversation as the fourth- or fifth-best receiver prospect in this draft class and should be a late-first/early-second round pick.
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.
