LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. took the college football world by storm in 2022, bursting onto the scene as a freshman and emerging as a premier defender in the country. That hype has stalled, with a myriad of injuries and a few years of just decent play on tape during the tail end of his collegiate career.
Perkins Jr. entered the Tigers' program as a high-ceiling hybrid recruit and immediately showed why with All-SEC and All-American honors in his freshman campaign. Inconsistent defensive alignment led to a step back in 2023, and he missed almost the entire 2024 season with a knee injury. He entered the 2026 NFL Draft after a somewhat successful rebound year in 2025 and was a main piece of an LSU defense that certainly had its flashes.
Harold Perkins Jr. NFL Draft Profile:
Position: Linebacker
School: LSU Tigers
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 222 pounds
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Statistics:
- 2025: 56 Tackles, 8 TFL, 4 Sacks, 3 INT, 3 PBU, 1 FF
- Career: 218 Tackles, 35 TFL, 17 Sacks, 5 INT, 11 PBU, 7 FF
Strengths:
Can work well laterally in traffic to push runs to the sideline Has a natural violence and occasionally showcases a downhill drive that makes him a dangerous pass rusher and backfield run stopperDownhill trigger is impressive, flashes some solid burst, and can crash down on checkdown routes out of the backfieldHas some thump behind his frame when he lets himself be violent and drive through the ball carrierGood footwork on stunts when rushing the edge, can stop-and-go sharply to generate momentum, working across the line and through the middleShoulder strength pops on tape when he gets initial leverage as a blitzer, can rip through linemen to get to the backfieldTimes blitzes well and can get himself in good position to pressure the QB quicklyDisciplined when passing off assignments in the zone, will make enough contact to impact their route, but will stay in his assigned alignmentCan engage and make some skillful compact movements to work laterally around blockers, especially on delayed blitzesPositions himself and times his QB hits well to maximize power and body controlPlays the sideline well to contort his body and attack ballcarriers with more violence and explosiveness to finish off playsWill show straight-line speed that makes him a problem for rushers bouncing outside on occasionWeaknesses:
Injury history draws questions, especially after his torn ACL (2024) Undersized and projects as a “tweener”, will have to carve out a role as a hybridDoesn’t have the length to extend and drive through tackles, will get caught up and can’t re-adjust to make tackles too far out of his frameHas way too many awareness lapses, will get lost in traffic after the catch, and allows himself to get drifted too much during plays and open up lanesDownhill blocks will throw him off his base too often and he doesn’t have the anchor to hold his ground against momentumRough backfield vision, options get him out of place frequently and in far too much spaceLacks effort at times as plays develop, and he doesn’t have the rotational skills and fluidity to hold up when he doesGets his head and hips turned around too often, will get himself crossed up and stuck between multiple assignmentsPlays way too cautiously in 1-on-1 blocking matchups in the open field, takes too much time trying to keep himself within his base, and gets blown by far too easilySpends an incredible amount of time on his heels, prevents himself from using his athleticism and is a coverage nightmare on RB option routesNeeds to keep himself controlled when blitzing, lets himself get too close to linemen and can’t even use any pass rushing movesWill get too jumpy when working the middle of the field near the LOS, can get pumpfaked easily and taken advantage ofStruggles to disengage, moving backward from the line, and is rarely able to impact plays after getting shut down moving downhillNFL Outlook:
Perkins Jr. was once thought of as a top-end NFL Draft prospect, but a severe knee injury and constant positional re-alignment by the LSU coaching staff have resulted in a near-consensus Day 3 projection by draft analysts. Since his stellar freshman season, he has played almost exclusively as an off-ball LB, and his coverage skills are just not good enough to sustain that role. His athleticism flashes at points, and he still works in some effective pass-rush violence and abilities when let loose. Maximizing his NFL success likely comes through becoming a more hybrid EDGE/LB prototype, but unless he can find his pre-injury form, he’s likely to be a rotational player at best.
NFL Player Comparison:
The player that college football fans saw during his freshman season wasn't too far from former Clemson phenom Isaiah Simmons in terms of raw talent. However, like Simmons in the NFL, years of inconsistent play make Perkins Jr. a difficult comparison. He has the physical attributes of a Deone Bucannon, but fits better as a pass rusher than a coverage backer. Like most hybrids, his role will have to be a unique one, and it's simply a waiting game until that role can be revealed.
Prospect Grade:
