Former Brown quarterback EJ Perry ’21.5 participated in the 2022 NFL Combine this past week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to attempt to raise his stock for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Perry performed well in Thursday’s physical testing, leading all quarterback prospects with a 6.85 second three-cone drill and a 4.18 second 20-yard shuttle. He also ran a 4.65 second 40-yard dash — the second-fastest of all quarterbacks, behind University of Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder — and had the second-best vertical jump (34.50”) and second-best broad jump (10’3”). Perry posted the highest athleticism score of any quarterback at the Combine, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
In addition to his physical testing, Perry had the opportunity to perform throwing drills in front of scouts and to meet in person with front office personnel from various NFL teams.
Wide receiver Wes Rockett ’23, who caught 56 balls for 664 yards and eight touchdowns from Perry during the 2021 football season, expected a strong showing from Perry at the Combine.
“He didn’t surprise any of (the Brown football players),” Rockett said. “We saw it on a daily basis. He’s a super hardworking guy and he just makes that ball move effortlessly.”
Running back Allen Smith ’22, who started alongside Perry during the last two Brown football seasons, was also unsurprised by Perry’s performance. “You can see how he plays with his feet as well as his arm,” Smith said. “He really did live up to the expectations.”
Perry also garnered attention for his leadership when he was spotted on video picking up trash around Lucas Oil Stadium after a full day at the Combine. “He’s just a nose to the grindstone type guy,” Rockett said. “You can even see that when he’s cleaning up trash on the sidelines.”
Although player interviews at the Combine occur behind closed doors, Brown football Head Coach James Perry ’00 is confident that EJ Perry interviewed well. EJ Perry “is really sharp, so I suspect he did really well in those settings,” James Perry said. “The feedback I’m getting is that he did exceptionally well when it comes to football knowledge.”
James Perry believes EJ Perry’s Combine performance will improve his 2022 NFL Draft positioning. The Combine “very positively affects him,” James Perry said. “People suspected he was very athletic; I don’t know if they suspected he would have the highest athletic score.”
“Time after time (EJ Perry) has proven how good he is and how much success he can have,” Rockett said. He added that any NFL team “would be very lucky to have him.”
Correction: A previous version of this article mistakenly attributed the photo to M. Charles Bakst, rather than Elizabeth Bakst. The Herald regrets the error.
Clarification: The photo caption on this story has been updated to include the fact that the photo was taken while Perry was practicing in Fort Myers, Fla. before the Combine.
