Malcolm Perry Progress Report

Miami Dolphins rookie Malcolm Perry continues to work to make the transition from college quarterback to NFL wide receiver

As Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores has tried to explained on more than one occasion, this training camp is unlike any other for rookies.

The obligatory learning curve that comes with transitioning from college football to the NFL has been made steeper because of the unique circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Dolphins rookie Malcolm Perry, it's even more complicated because he's also making a position change, going from college option quarterback to NFL slot receiver.

So Perry absolutely is a work in progress, his two dropped passes in practice Friday being clear evidence, but there's absolutely something to work with here.

“Malcolm is an interesting guy, having played quarterback in the option and he’s got some good quickness," offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said. "He’s got a feel for the game. He’s played tag growing up. He knows how to make people miss and make them get out of the way.

"He learned early on how to do that — how to look at a guy and know when he’s off balance or he’s got his foot in the wrong place and he can make a move the other way. so he’s got a little unique talent there and that’s one thing that gives me hope that he can play receiver for us because he does have a feel for getting people off-balance, finding holes, he understands the game pretty well. Probably playing quarterback helped him understand the game fairly well, so he’s an interesting guy to work with."

The Dolphins selected Perry in the seventh round of the 2020 draft and then listed him as a running back on their roster, though the expectation all along was that he'd wind up as a slot receiver.

At 5-10, 175, Perry always seemed better suited to play the slot than running back. So there certainly was no hesitation when the Dolphins brought up the idea of playing receiver, a position for which he had prepared in the weeks leading up to the draft.

“I was extremely excited," Perry said. "Any opportunity to touch the field at any position, I’m all for it. (I'm) just getting out there, learning from the guys on the team that play the same position, mirroring them, seeing what they’re doing, asking them questions and trying to learn everything from them, their mistakes, what they do right, stuff like that and try to use it to my advantage.”

Of the Dolphins' 11 draft picks in 2020, Perry is among the most interesting because of his backgroun as a record-setting quarterback at Navy. It's a different ballgame now and Perry is being asked to do different things.

While he's still likely to make the 53-man roster based on recent history — only one Dolphins draft pick since 2012 has failed to make the opening-day roster — Perry currently is fighting to try to earn a role in the offense.

How quickly he can master his new position — at least become proficient at it — will be the determining factor.