Peria Jerry SELECTED BY: Falcons Round 1 (24)

SI Grade 4.05 GRADING SYSTEM

BIOGRAPHY: Three-year starter awarded all-Conference honors after his junior and senior seasons. Named as an All-America player last year. Senior totals included 49/18/7 after 58 over/14/3.5 as a junior.

POSITIVES: Explosive one-gap defensive tackle with a high upside. Plays with good pad level, shows tremendous quickness off the snap and bulrushes opponents off the line. Immediately changes direction, makes plays down the line of scrimmage and possesses a closing burst of speed. Forceful in the middle of the line and focused on by opponents. Fights with his hands throughout the action and goes hard until the whistle blows. Displays a good head for the ball, quickly diagnoses the action and wraps up tackling.

NEGATIVES: Struggles getting off blocks if he does not get the first step on opponents. Lacks natural power.

ANALYSIS: Jerry is a terrific defensive tackle prospect whose draft stock has been on the rise since the start of the season. He is a much better athlete than most give him credit for and when factoring in Jerry's size, movement skills and speed he could be a perfect fit for a team which employs a three technique lineman.

PROJECTION: First Round