20/20: Samaje Perine

Bruce Matson Posted On February 19, 2017

Welcome to the 20/20 series. As part of our continued Dynasty Scouts coverage and in preparation for the NFL Combine, we’ll be profiling 20 of the top incoming rookies of the class of 2017 by giving you 20 facts you must know.

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1.) Name – Samaje Perine

2.) College – Oklahoma

3.) Height/Weight – 5-foot-10, 236-pounds

4.) Birth Date – 9/16/95 (21)

5.) Class – Junior

6.) College Stats –

samaje perine stats

7.) NFL Draft round projection – He’s projected to be drafted anywhere between the third and fourth round of the NFL Draft. There’s a chance that he could sneak into the second round but with numerous talented running backs in this draft class, Perine is likely to fall to the middle rounds. Any other year he would be a surefire second round pick.

8.) Current NFL comp – Perine is very similar to Michael Turner when it comes to size and running style. Both backs are big physical runners who execute tremendous agility and balance after the point of contact. Their production is very comparable with Turner rushing for 4,941 yards and 43 touchdowns during his collegiate career at Norther Illinois.

9.) Best possible destination – Detroit

He’s a three-down back who needs to receive a large market share of the carries to become a reliable fantasy asset. The Lions could use a running back that can grind out the tough yards between the tackles. Theo Riddick and Ameer Abdullah are excellent complimentary pieces in the passing game, taking some of the load off of Perine’s shoulders. Matt Stafford does a good job at orchestrating the offense and distributing the ball to his receivers, which will help keep defenses honest.

10.) Worst possible destination – Dallas

Like I stated earlier, Perine is a three-down back and he will need to be used as the feature piece in the offense to reach his potential in fantasy. Playing second fiddle to Ezekiel Elliott could be the worst thing that could possible happen to his dynasty stock.

11.) Best current skill – It’s almost impossible for defenders to tackle him in one on one situations due to his power and ability to keep moving forward through the point of contact. His footwork and balance makes it easy for him to spin-off and bounce away from tacklers. Not only is he physically gifted with raw power but he also runs with a lot of anger and has the mental fortitude to truck any defender that’s in his way.

12.) Skill that needs to be improved – He’s fast enough to get the job done at the NFL level but it would be beneficial for him to shed a few pounds and work on his long speed. The extra speed will help him separate from defenders in the open field. Defensive backs and linebackers are going to be a lot faster and it will be harder for him to outrun defenders when he hits the second level of the defense. He may never become a home run threat but a little bit of extra speed could go a long way in his development.

13.) Past/Current rookie ADP – He currently ranks sixth amongst running backs with a 10.20 rookie ADP, making him a late first round pick. His performance at the combine and his landing spot in the draft will immensely affect how dynasty owners value him in rookie drafts.

14.) Projected dynasty value – His value is dependent on where he goes in the draft and how quickly he obtains a starting role. He will easily be a top-100 start up pick if he earns a starting job during his rookie season. The market value for young talented prospects is usually age insulated during the first few years of their careers, making Perine a safe investment. If everything goes according to plan, he gets drafted to a good team that will utilize him as their feature back, easily making him an RB1 in fantasy. Don’t lose hope if he gets stuck in a committee because he still has the talent to become a solid RB2 if he lands in a less than optimal situation.

15.) Recruiting profile – Perine was a four-star recruit from Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, Texas and according to 247sports he was ranked the twenty-fifth best running back in the 2014 recruiting class. A lot of teams were interested in his talents including Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Texas Christian and Tennessee.

16.) High school production –

2011 (sophomore) – 153 carries, 1,438 yards, eight touchdowns

2012 (Junior) – 235 carries, 1,993 yards, 16 touchdowns

2013 (Senior) – 158 carries, 1,492 yards, 12 touchdowns

17.) Injury history (preexisting conditions) –

12/14/2014 – Suffered a sprained ankle against Oklahoma State

12/31/2015 – He injured a ligament in his ankle against Clemson during the Capital One Orange Bowl and had surgery on 1/9/2016 to repair the issue, which caused him to miss spring ball.

9/3/2016 – Left the game early during the season opener against Houston due to a shoulder injury. 10/15/2016 – Pulled a muscle in his leg during week seven against Kanas, causing him to leave the game early and miss three additional games.

18.) World’s strongest man – He has recorded maxes of a 450-pound bench press, 325-pound power clean and a 600-pound squat and it has been reported that he can rep 225-pounds on the bench press anywhere from 30-40 times.

19.) One of the all-time great Sooners – Perine finished his collegiate career as Oklahoma’s all-time leading rusher with 4,122-yards rushing and third all-time with 49 touchdowns. He has 81 more yards than Oklahoma’s previous all-time leading rusher, Adrian Peterson, on 63 less carries.

20.) Honors – In 2016 he was named second-team All-Big 12 while playing in just ten games that season. In 2015 he was an Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection and was named third team All-American by Phil Steele. He was also a semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and was honored with an All-Big 12 First Team nomination. His freshman season was also decorated with awards and honors which included a Second-Team All-American nomination (FWAA and Phil Steele) and a Third Team All-American (AP). He also earned Freshman All-American, Freshman of the Year honors by Touchdown Club of Columbus, Big-12 Offensive Freshman of the year and Big-12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

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Bruce Matson

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

I'm a financial counselor for a hospital in South Central Ohio. I graduated from Muskingum University with a bachelor's in business while minoring in Economics and Accounting. I won my first fantasy football title with Jake Plummer as my quarterback.