National Football League

'The Panel' likens Perryman to an NFL throwback linebacker

Published Apr. 4, 2015 5:43 p.m. ET

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ATLANTA --It's hard to watch film of linebacker Denzel Perryman's time at Miami and not be impressed. In addition to the way he played, Perryman's successful numbers should easily translate to the NFL.

Perryman logged more than 100 tackles in each of his final two seasons with the Hurricanes. Along side 110 tackles in 2014 were 9.5 tackles for loss. He added five tackles behind the line of scrimmage to his 108 tackles from his junior year of 2013.

He's a sideline-to-sideliine linebacker who many feel can play inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme in the NFL, or the 'Mike' linebacker position in a 4-3.

On Sunday FOX Sports South will air "The Panel" where Perryman joined Marcus Stroud, Dre Bly, Clinton Portis and Tim Couch to talk about his outstanding numbers at Miami. The four panelists know a thing or two about putting up big-time statistics at the college level.

Between the four panelists there were four All-American awards, four All-Conference awards, a Heisman finalist and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. And that's just on the college side of their resumes.

The quartet also featured two first-round and two second-round picks in the NFL, 35 years of pro experience, five Pro-Bowl selections and a Super Bowl ring.

On the agenda for "The Panel" was just about any topic. Discussions ranged from the impressive lineage of linebackers from Miami (of which, where does Perryman rank?), how to handle the new-found financial windfall coming Perryman's way, how Perryman would tackle fellow Hurricane Portis, and how Perryman reminded the panelists of old-time linebackers in the NFL.

"They kind of said I am a throwback linebacker," Perryman said after taping his segment on "The Panel" in March. "Those guys being pleased with my film period means a lot to me. That kind of gives me more of a confidence boost, more motivation to just keep doing what I'm doing."

Perryman was never shy when it came to laying a hit on a ball carrier in college. He was also extremely adept at fighting through linemen to get to the football. His instincts show up dramatically on tape, according to the panelists, and Perryman has an intelligence when it comes to evasion and pursuit that is second to none in this year's draft.

Bly was so impressed with Perryman that he quipped that the former Miami star could be his middle linebacker any time.

"That means a lot," said Perryman. "My agent told me 'He was a dog.'"

Perryman was asked to break down some film and even run through a play on the white board with Portis while taping "The Panel." He said the experience was very similar to his meetings with teams at the combine, but not quite as intense.

"It was similar," said Perryman. "But compared to the combine, I had to draw up a defense compared to what offense they had up there [on the white board]. Up there at Indy one team briefly went over one play they install on the first day, then went over it again to make sure I was paying attention; to see what I had learned and how quickly I can pick it up."

Perryman said he passed that test with flying colors, just like he aced his time with "The Panel." He also said he took some off-the-field advice from his time with Stroud, Bly, Portis and Couch.

Many of the to-be NFL rookies that spoke with "The Panel" took time after their segment to pick the brains of these former NFL'ers. Much of the advice they were seeking involved ideas on how to handle training camp, the media and money.

"To continue to stay humble, but keep my confidence," Perryman quickly answered about his biggest takeaway from the panelists. "One thing that stood out was 'You didn't make it this far to take care of everybody.' And that hit hard with me. Because I know there's some people that think I need to take care of them when I make it. They've done this or done that for me. I'll have to do something for them in return."

Perryman now has a much better feel for how to handle financial situations like that. That's good news since he's likely going to be a late first-round pick or an early second-rounder.

At his Pro Day, Perryman improved his 40-yard dash time significantly. His time wasn't official at Miami, but scouts had his first run anywhere from 4.56 seconds to 4.67. At the combine he was a bit slower at 4.78 seconds. Improving on that time was a big deal for Perryman, who worked hard his starts, back-end running and improving his 10-yard split in the time between the combine and his Pro Day. He also wanted to improve on his bench press.

Perryman pushed 225 pounds up at the combine 27 times. At his Pro Day he nailed 30, and that was his goal.

FOX Sports South will air Perryman's visit with "The Panel" at 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 5.

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