Why Ronnie Perkins know New England Patriots fans will ‘love’ him
The New England Patriots made it clear they wanted to add physicality in their front seven during free agency, and they continued that trend in the 2021 NFL draft with the selection of Christian Barmore in the second round and the selection of Oklahoma product Ronnie Perkins with the No. 96 pick.
As Barmore was the top-rated defensive tackle in the draft, Perkins just may be the steal of the draft as he was expected to go a lot higher than where Bill Belichick was able to grab him.
His slide could be a result of his off-the-field issues, but as fans know, Belichick has no problem bringing in a guy with extreme talent if he feels he can whip into shape.
The New England Patriots get a physical player with a high ceiling
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Described by the Patriots coach as a “disruptive player” who displays great physicality as a linebacker defensive end hybrid, Belichick feels there will be growth in the player once they get him into camp and work with him.
"“Ronnie’s a disruptive player, physical outside linebacker defensive end-type,” Belichick said during his post-draft conference. “We’ll see how that goes when we get him here and work with him, but another guy that has good ability to be disruptive on defense and play physical, has a very physical playing style.”"
With the team’s recent success in drafting defensive players in the third and fourth round, most recently Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise, Chase Winovich and Josh Uche, the Patriots are getting a player who has an opportunity to be really great as long as he keeps those off-the-field issues in check which he appears to have already attributed as learning opportunities.
Certainly, that is the display of a mature player, but what Patriots fans will really love about Ronnie Perkins, besides his ability to disrupt opposing quarterbacks, is his reference to Patriots greats such as Willie McGinest and Dont’a Hightower as players he models his game after.
If he is any combination of those two players, the Patriots absolutely will have themselves a steal. As far as what type of player they are getting, Perkins didn’t hold back in letting the media and fans know what he will bring to the table on and off the field.
"“One thing is Ronnie Perkins the player, I just want to say that they’ll be getting a great guy,” Perkins said in his post-draft conference. “In the long run, I definitely know the Patriots fans will love me. Just from watching the past Patriots defensive greats, I definitely know they will love me and the way I play. Just as a person, they’re getting a guy who loves to interact with the community, who love to interact with the fans, so they’ll definitely see me around New England a lot.”"
Next. ‘Bama stud Christian Barmore an absolute beast. dark
While Mac Jones and Barmore will get most of the attention as the top two picks of the 2021 NFL Draft, Perkins could actually be the player with the most character, which will make him a fan favorite right away if it combines with the amount of talent he brings to the field.