EJ Perry Scouting Report: EJ Perry NFL Draft Profile

Quarterback, Brown Bears, #4

EJ Perry Measurements

Height/Weight: 6’2” / 210 lbs
40 time: EJ Perry NFL Draft Combine reults had him with a 4.65 40 time.

EJ Perry NFL Draft Player Profile

Perry was a 4-year starter at Andover High School and will go down as one of Massachusetts’ best high school football players. During his time, EJ would be named a Merrimack Valley Conference All-Star three times and a Boston Herald All-Scholastic twice. As a senior, he would tie a Massachusetts state record for single-season touchdown passes with 47. This was in addition to his 3,398 yards passing, 1,006 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. All of that would help earn him SuiteSports MIAA All-State First-Team and Offensive Player of the Year honors. Over his high school career, Perry would throw for 8,712 yards with 114 touchdowns. EJ was tabbed as a three-star recruit by ESPN.

Originally signing with Boston College, Perry didn’t see much playing time. He would complete 27 of 39 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns over two seasons with the Eagles. It was then that EJ decided to transfer. While he considered schools such as Rice, Holy Cross, and Villanova, Perry ultimately landed at Brown University.

Here he would play for his uncle who is the Bears head coach. Once he got to Brown, all he did was set the Ivy League record with 3,678 yards of total offense in a single season. Perry did this with 2,948 through the air and another 730 on the ground. He added 30 total touchdowns (22 passing, eight rushing). He was named First-Team All-Ivy League and runner-up for the Asa Bushnell Cup (Ivy League Player of the Year).

Even though he only played one season, he was named to the All-Decade team as well. So far this season, he’s thrown for 1,953 yards with 17 touchdowns in 6 games. Perry has added another 232 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

EJ Perry Strengths

Athletic

I could just leave his 4.53 40-time and be done with it. Perry is a really good athlete, there’s no question about it. He was a multi-sport athlete in high school and even at Brown University. While he was much more of a dual threat during his first season with the Bears, he’s toned down his running this season. Now, Perry uses his athleticism to extend plays and only runs when no other options are available. His speed is comparable to some of the top running backs in this year’s draft class, which makes him an even more intriguing draft prospect.

Great Touch

While EJ can put some zip on his throws, he’s at his best when he throws the ball with touch.  Let me tell you, he can put some beautiful touch on his passes. Perry is almost Aaron Rodgers like with his back shoulder fade placement. Watching him lob a ball over the defender and hitting his receiver in stride is a thing of beauty. He can even do it while he’s on the run. It was truly a joy to watch.

Navigates the Pocket

I won’t lie, I fully expected EJ to be a guy that just looked to his first read and then ran. When you put up over 700 yards rushing in a season, it’s hard not to jump to conclusions. I was completely wrong. Perry does a nice job of using his athleticism to navigate the pocket. He only leaves to extend the play, and then only actually takes off running if nothing is open down the field.

Competitor

Listed at 6’2”, he looks smaller to me on the field. However, the smaller frame doesn’t mean that he’s going to back down. EJ is always competing. You can see this when chases down defenders 40 yards down the field. It’s evident when he puts his head down and fights for extra yards. I wish he wouldn’t do as much of the latter, but you have to respect his toughness. Perry will do whatever is needed to help his team.

EJ Perry Weaknesses

Interceptions

Some interceptions have bounced off the hands of his receivers. Others have been clear miscommunications on where a receiver was expected to be. Furthermore, some were those “what were you looking at” moments. Regardless, it’s alarming to see Perry having 22 interceptions in his 16 career games at Brown. In fact EJ has thrown an interception in 14 of the 16 games, including 6 multi-interception games. I tried to look for excuses for him, but that’s an alarming trend that you can’t overlook.

Questions about Arm Strength

One thing you notice about the Brown offense is that Perry isn’t asked to throw the ball deep. There have been a handful of plays where he would throw the ball 30-40 yards and didn’t seem to struggle to deliver the ball. It’s just something that I would have liked to see more of in order to properly gauge his arm strength. Most importantly, when you consider that he is coming off of surgery to repair his labrum in his throwing shoulder.

EJ Perry NFL Draft Stock

Perry isn’t a name that you hear much about, if at all. I think as the season progresses and we get into combine season, EJ Perry is a name that will start climbing up the 2022 NFL Draft boards.

Final Thoughts on EJ Perry

If I was a scout for a NFL team, I would probably get into trouble over EJ Perry. Thankfully, I’m writing for Draftdive and have the freedom to say that EJ Perry is my favorite quarterback prospect of the 2022 class. This is probably because I’m a sucker for the small school, underdog type. But in all seriousness, I love Perry’s skillset. He’s athletic, smart and has good accuracy on his throws. I’m hopeful that Perry gets a couple of All-Star game invites so he has a chance to show what he can do against a higher caliber of competition.

Based just on his skillset, I’d have an early Day 3 grade on EJ. However, I do believe that his interception issue could cause him to drop later in the draft. Possibly even on the edge of undrafted free agent. Still, Perry is an intriguing developmental prospect that I think teams will have their eyes on.

EJ Perry Pro Comparison: Taylor Heinicke