Patriots Get Pass Rusher Perkins in Third Round

Oklahoma edge defender Ronnie Perkins will join a deep New England Patriots linebacker corps

The Patriots used their third-round pick Friday to bolster their pass rush.

With the 96th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, they selected edge rusher Ronnie Perkins out of Oklahoma.

The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Perkins had 11.5 sacks over the past two seasons with the Sooners. Perkins will get to break in slowly in the Pats linebacker group, which already includes Dont’a Hightower, Matt Judon, Kyle Van Noy, Chase Winovich, Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings.

Here’s some of what the NFL Draft Bible had to say about Perkins:

Judging by his physical stature, Perkins brings a physicality that can catch opponents off guard. He gets his hips aligned, sticks his outside foot in the group and explodes down the middle of opposing offensive linemen, creating an absurd amount of movement off the bull-rush. Perkins is completely overwhelming at the set point, putting blockers on their back side on more than a few reps throughout his tape. He possesses incredibly powerful and active hands, showing the ability to win after initial contact. There are bad intentions to his game, seeming to take it personally when the opposition believes they can block him.

It's not surprising that the Pats went with defense with both their picks on the draft’s second day. After selecting quarterback Mac Jones in Thursday’s first round, New England traded up to take defensive lineman Christian Barmore in the second round and then took Perkins.