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Draftanomics
Prospect dossier

Suntarine Perkins

LB · Ole Miss · 2027 NFL Draft class

Public Draft Board rank #63·5 contributing sources·Board as of August 31, 2026
Draftanomics scouting
Revised preseason edition · September 12, 20264 min readReport role: LB · Ole Miss

Master scouting report

Perkins fits as an off-ball linebacker with coverage and pressure value. He can carry a seam, mirror a back’s break and accelerate through a narrow rush opening. At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, he is less suited to a steady diet of direct contact with offensive tackles. His range gives him a usable NFL role; unreliable tackling and difficulty escaping larger blockers limit how broadly that role can expand.

By Draftanomics · Sources & edition · Print report

01Experience and production

Perkins started 15 games in 2025 and finished with 81 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. In 2024 he recorded 60 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 13 appearances, including eight starts. He continued to start games on the edge, so the lower sack total does not establish a complete position change or a loss of rushing ability. The fuller NFL evaluation includes his coverage movement, option recognition and ability to finish tackles in addition to the pressure production.

02Coverage and space movement

Perkins can backpedal with a seam route and mirror a running back’s outside break. Knee bend and change of direction help him stay involved when the route changes, and his range supports assignments against backs and tight ends. His speed also gives him quarterback-spy value. Those skills allow a defense to threaten pressure from his alignment without committing him to the rush on every snap. His coverage movement is an important reason to develop him away from a rush-only role.

03Run recognition and tackling

Perkins shows discipline setting the edge and can recognize option action and play fakes before committing to pursuit. He closes quickly downhill and is willing to challenge bigger bodies. Recognition and effort are ahead of his contact consistency: larger blockers can keep him occupied, and his tackle finishes are uneven. The speed is useful for shrinking space, but he needs a more controlled approach and dependable finish to convert those arrivals into stops. His best run-defense work will come when he has room to read and pursue rather than repeatedly absorb a tackle’s initial power.

04Blitz timing and rush value

Perkins gets low and can work through a small opening before a larger blocker squares up. He times downhill pressure well and closes quickly once he clears the line. Changing his starting point can create a favorable angle for that burst; asking him to sustain a prolonged power exchange reduces the advantage. Pressure design should give him a route into space, with the same attention to his final approach and tackle finish that his pursuit work requires.

05Play strength and block resistance

Perkins gives away size against offensive tackles and can be neutralized once they establish solid contact. Low leverage and a quick entry help him avoid the strongest part of the block, but do not reliably free him after the blocker gets square. His sustained effort and late pursuit keep him involved after the first exchange. He still needs a cleaner way to finish those plays, both as a tackler and when working free of contact.

The case for the player

Strengths

  • He can follow backs and carry routes beyond the line.

  • Downhill burst gives a developing pressure a chance to arrive.

The questions that remain

Concerns

  • Solid tackle contact can neutralize his size and movement advantages.

  • Closing speed needs a more dependable conclusion.

Building the fit

NFL role and scheme fit

Use Perkins as a space linebacker with subpackage coverage and pressure assignments. Matching backs and tight ends, spying a mobile quarterback and attacking selected gaps make use of his movement. Keep him from carrying a full-time defensive end’s block workload, and give him room behind the front to read and pursue. More dependable tackling is the clearest requirement for turning that package value into a broader starting role.

The Draftanomics view

Bottom line

A useful coverage-and-pressure linebacker whose NFL value depends on deployment and tackle reliability. Perkins offers enough movement and recognition to do more than rush the passer. His size and difficulty with established blocks favor an off-ball role, while improved finishing would determine how much early-down responsibility he can handle.

Sources & edition

The Draftanomics assessment, synthesized from attributed reporting. Role and development language expresses scouting opinion.

Preseason synthesis of published evaluations and official college records, reviewed September 12, 2026. This edition does not assess 2026 game film.

Edition reviewed September 12, 2026. Replaces fragmented sections with connected technical analysis, explicit evaluator disagreements and a defined role assessment.

The original August edition remains preserved. This is a revised Draftanomics assessment, with supporting sources attached to each statement.

View the 4 referenced sources
Read statement references

Every passage remains linked to its supporting sources. Open a section to inspect the assessment and its evidence.

Sources for overview
  1. House assessment

    Perkins fits as an off-ball linebacker with coverage and pressure value. He can carry a seam, mirror a back’s break and accelerate through a narrow rush opening. At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, he is less suited to a steady diet of direct contact with offensive tackles. His range gives him a usable NFL role; unreliable tackling and difficulty escaping larger blockers limit how broadly that role can expand.

Sources for experience and production
  1. House assessment

    Perkins started 15 games in 2025 and finished with 81 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. In 2024 he recorded 60 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 13 appearances, including eight starts. He continued to start games on the edge, so the lower sack total does not establish a complete position change or a loss of rushing ability. The fuller NFL evaluation includes his coverage movement, option recognition and ability to finish tackles in addition to the pressure production.

Sources for coverage and space movement
  1. House assessment

    Perkins can backpedal with a seam route and mirror a running back’s outside break. Knee bend and change of direction help him stay involved when the route changes, and his range supports assignments against backs and tight ends. His speed also gives him quarterback-spy value. Those skills allow a defense to threaten pressure from his alignment without committing him to the rush on every snap. His coverage movement is an important reason to develop him away from a rush-only role.

Sources for run recognition and tackling
  1. House assessment

    Perkins shows discipline setting the edge and can recognize option action and play fakes before committing to pursuit. He closes quickly downhill and is willing to challenge bigger bodies. Recognition and effort are ahead of his contact consistency: larger blockers can keep him occupied, and his tackle finishes are uneven. The speed is useful for shrinking space, but he needs a more controlled approach and dependable finish to convert those arrivals into stops. His best run-defense work will come when he has room to read and pursue rather than repeatedly absorb a tackle’s initial power.

Sources for blitz timing and rush value
  1. House assessment

    Perkins gets low and can work through a small opening before a larger blocker squares up. He times downhill pressure well and closes quickly once he clears the line. Changing his starting point can create a favorable angle for that burst; asking him to sustain a prolonged power exchange reduces the advantage. Pressure design should give him a route into space, with the same attention to his final approach and tackle finish that his pursuit work requires.

Sources for play strength and block resistance
  1. House assessment

    Perkins gives away size against offensive tackles and can be neutralized once they establish solid contact. Low leverage and a quick entry help him avoid the strongest part of the block, but do not reliably free him after the blocker gets square. His sustained effort and late pursuit keep him involved after the first exchange. He still needs a cleaner way to finish those plays, both as a tackler and when working free of contact.

Sources for coverage range
  1. House assessment

    He can follow backs and carry routes beyond the line.

Sources for pressure timing
  1. House assessment

    Downhill burst gives a developing pressure a chance to arrive.

Sources for larger blockers
  1. House assessment

    Solid tackle contact can neutralize his size and movement advantages.

Sources for tackle finish
  1. House assessment

    Closing speed needs a more dependable conclusion.

Sources for nfl role and scheme fit
  1. House assessment

    Use Perkins as a space linebacker with subpackage coverage and pressure assignments. Matching backs and tight ends, spying a mobile quarterback and attacking selected gaps make use of his movement. Keep him from carrying a full-time defensive end’s block workload, and give him room behind the front to read and pursue. More dependable tackling is the clearest requirement for turning that package value into a broader starting role.

Sources for bottom line
  1. House assessment

    A useful coverage-and-pressure linebacker whose NFL value depends on deployment and tackle reliability. Perkins offers enough movement and recognition to do more than rush the passer. His size and difficulty with established blocks favor an off-ball role, while improved finishing would determine how much early-down responsibility he can handle.

College record & draft context

College production, measurables, experience, and the prospect's place on the sealed Public Draft Board.

Public Draft Board

Public Draft Board rank
#63
Position rank
LB6
Contributing sources
5
Movement since prior snapshot
Down 26

Sealed snapshot as of August 31, 2026 · equal-weight aggregation of public boards, minimum 3 sources for a rank · The Public Draft Board

College production

Defense
StatisticSeason 2024Season 2025
Total tackles6081
Solo tackles3241
Tackles for loss1412.5
Sacks10.54.5
Passes defended05
QB hurries812
Defensive TD00

Seasons of evidence: 2. Games played, snap counts, and usage shares are not in the retained data. An em dash means the value is not in the dataset, not zero.

Evidence notes

  • The retained data contains 2 seasons of defense production (2024–2025).
  • Defense tackles increased in each observed season (60 → 81).
  • The newest college season in the retained data is 2025; the 2026 season is not yet included.
  • No verified athletic testing is included in the sealed dataset for this prospect.
  • 5 contributing public boards rank this prospect; the Public Draft Board places him at #63.
  • The aggregate public rank fell 26 spots between the two most recent sealed weekly snapshots.

Each note restates a displayed fact. None is a forecast of NFL performance.

Experience and measurements

Listed height
6'2"
Listed weight
220 lb
Class
Senior
Age
Not in dataset
Recorded school
Ole Miss
Former school
Not in dataset
Hometown
Raleigh, MS
Jersey
#4
Recruiting stars
5-star
Recruiting rank
#14 nationally

"Not in dataset" means the value is absent from the sealed dossier dataset, not that it does not exist.

Athletic testing

Not included in the sealed dataset. No combine, pro-day, or RAS value is retained for the 2027 class; absence here does not mean no testing has taken place.

Listed roster height and weight (CollegeFootballData); no verified athletic testing is retained. Bio captured August 29, 2026.

Historical comparisons

Historical profile comparisons are being rebuilt.

Sources and methodology

  • Retained bio and measurements: Draftanomics prospect ingest (CollegeFootballData rosters and recruiting), retained seed data/seed/prospects_upcoming_full.parquet.
  • Retained college production: CollegeFootballData season statistics via the retained player cross-reference; position-relevant categories only; all-zero category rows dropped.
  • Age: unavailable — no birth date or age is retained for the 2027 class.
  • Transfer history: not retained — the page shows the current school and, where the frozen id names a different school, the former school.
  • Public Draft Board: sealed snapshot as of August 31, 2026; per-source ranks are not published under the aggregate-only source policy.

Board methodologyDossier methodologyResearch status

Board position reflects aggregated public opinion; the scouting report is a separate editorial assessment.