| Atlanta Falcons | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | September 29, 1999 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 253 lb (115 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Lutheran North (St. Louis) | ||||
| College: | Oklahoma (2018–2020) | ||||
| NFL draft: | 2021: 3rd round, 96th pick | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||
| |||||
Ronnie Perkins (born September 29, 1999) is an American professional football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma and was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Perkins attended Lutheran High School North in St. Louis, Missouri. [1] [2] As a senior in 2017, he was named the St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro football defensive player of the year. [3] He played in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. [4] Perkins committed to the University of Oklahoma to play college football.
As a true freshman at Oklahoma in 2018, Perkins started seven games and recorded 37 tackles and five sacks. [5] He started all 13 games he played in his sophomore year before being suspended for the 2019 Peach Bowl due to a failed drug test. He finished the season with 38 tackles and six sacks. [6] The suspension continued five games into his junior year in 2020. [7] [8]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) | 253 lb (115 kg) | 32+7⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.71 s | 1.69 s | 2.79 s | 4.69 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) | 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) | 25 reps | ||
| All values from Pro Day [9] [10] | ||||||||||||
Perkins was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round, 96th overall, of the 2021 NFL draft. [11] On July 20, 2021, Perkins signed his four-year rookie contract with New England. [12] After being inactive the first 13 games of the season, he was placed on injured reserve on December 17 without being active for a game as a rookie. [13]
On August 23, 2022, Perkins was placed on injured reserve. [14]
On August 29, 2023, Perkins was waived by the Patriots and re-signed to the practice squad. [15] [16]
On September 18, 2023, Perkins was signed by the Denver Broncos off the Patriots practice squad. [17] He was released on December 14 and re-signed to the practice squad. [18] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024. [19]
On August 6, 2024, Perkins was designated as waived/injured by the Broncos. [20] The next day, Perkins reverted to the Broncos' injured reserve after clearing waivers. [21]
On September 17, Perkins was released by the Broncos. [22]
On October 16, 2024, Perkins signed with the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. [23] He was waived on December 3. [24]
On February 4, 2025, Perkins signed with the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). [25] He was placed on injured reserve on May 12, 2025. [26]
On August 18, 2025, Perkins signed with the Atlanta Falcons. [27]