Player: Paul Perkins
Position: Running Back
School: UCLA
Draft Status: Fifth Round, 149th Pick (New York Giants)
Rookie Running Back Ranking: #6
College Stats | Year | Class | Rush | Yards | AVG | TD | Rec | Yards | TD |
| 2013 | Freshman | 134 | 573 | 4.3 | 6 | 24 | 296 | 0 |
| 2014 | Sophomore | 250 | 1,572 | 6.3 | 9 | 26 | 201 | 2 |
| 2015 | Junior | 237 | 1,343 | 5.7 | 14 | 30 | 242 | 1 |
| Totals | Three Years | 621 | 3,488 | 5.6 | 29 | 89 | 739 | 3 |
A three-star recruit out of Arizona, Perkins shared time with Jordon James and Myles Jack as a freshman. Perkins biggest claim to fame in his first season with UCLA was a 141-yard performance in a win over Utah in early October. He also put up 107 total yards on 23 touches in a win over Washington later that season.
With James graduating and Jack playing more at linebacker the following season, Perkins got his opportunity to be the team's primary ball carrier. He responded by putting up 100-plus total yards nine times. His best performance came in a close loss to Oregon where he put up 200 total yards. Then in UCLA's win over Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl, Perkins tallied 194 yards and two scores.
While Perkins would see his rushing totals decrease as a junior in 2015, he did average 5.7 yards while putting up a career-best 15 touchdowns. He put up a career-best 219-yard performance in an early-season win over BYU, following that up with a three-touchdown outing against Nebraska the following week.
Scouting Report
Strengths: Vision is the biggest key here. Outside of maybe Ezekiel Elliott, Perkins boasts an elite-level vision that no other running back in this draft possesses. Combine that with a tremendous cut-back ability and great lateral quickness, and this makes Perkins an extremely high-upside prospect for the Giants. Reliable receiver out of the backfield with a willingness to run between the tackles.
Weaknesses: Strength is a major issue here. Can be brought down by arm tackles, struggles getting the necessary distance on short-yardage situations. Needs to do a better job in blitz pick up and doesn't necessarily have much as it relates to a route tree.
2016 Outlook
The Giants struggled to throw a consistent running game together last season. Rashad Jennings did put up nearly 1,200 rushing yards, but he's getting up there in age. Meanwhile, second-year running back Andre Williams averaged less than three yards per attempt.
There's an opportunity for Perkins to earn a starting job for the Giants. His talent level is much greater than any of the Giants' running backs currently on the roster. It's going to be extremely interesting to see how the team brings him along during training camp. If he's running with the first team, you might want to consider this mid-round pick in standard 12-team leagues. In larger formats, he's going to be a reliable bench option. There's just too much working in Perkins' favor here.
Dynasty Outlook
One could make the argument that Perkins should be a top-five fantasy running back option out of this draft class. What he brings to the table cannot be denied. The only issue is whether his 5-foot-10 frame will hold up as a primary running back in the NFL.
What we're going to want to see here is for Perkins to take advantage of weaker competition on the Giants roster during the summer. If that happens, there's a darn good chance he could be a real steal in rookie pool drafts.