Rookie SWOT: Samaje Perine

Bruce Matson

Editor’s Note: As our coverage of the 2017 NFL Draft and its impact on fantasy football continues, we bring you our 2017 Rookie SWOT series. These articles will feature video highlights, combine reviews, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, short-term expectations, long-term expectations and rookie draft advice for over 30 of the best dynasty league prospects from this year’s draft. We’ll mix them in with team-by-team draft reviews because, you know, that’s kind of what we live for.

Make sure you’re ready for your dynasty league rookie draft by staying up on all these articles, checking out our rookie draft guide, rookie rankings, rookie draft cheat sheet and post-draft mocks. There are simply no better resources out there for dynasty fantasy football enthusiasts.

Name: Samaje Perine

Position: Running Back

Pro Team: Washington Redskins

College Team: Oklahoma Sooners

Draft Status: Round Four, Pick No. 114 Overall

Video Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKCcS86FWh8

Combine Review

  • Height: 5’11’’
  • Weight: 233 Pounds
  • Hands: 10’’
  • Arm Length: 30 3/8’’
  • Bench Press (225): 30 Reps
  • 40-Yard-Dash: 4.65
  • 20-Yard-Shuttle: 4.37
  • 3-Cone: 7.26
  • Vertical: 33’’

Strengths

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Perine has the prototypical size of a three-down workhorse running back. At 233-pounds, he has the build to handle a full workload of a feature back at the NFL level. He does a very good job using his size to run over defenders by maintaining his balance and dropping his pad level at the point of contact.  Perine’s bruising running style allows him to break the will of his opponent due to his ability to smash through defenders on a consistent basis.

There are not many running backs weighing over 230-pounds that have nimble footwork and are capable of being elusive enough to avoid defenders. Perine utilizes his excellent footwork to maintain his balance while absorbing contact and will often slide step or spin away from the defender to pick up extra yardage. His low center of gravity makes it very hard for linebackers and defensive backs to get a solid hit on him.

He was one of the most productive running backs in the nation during his three-year collegiate career, rushing for a total of 4,122 yards and 49 touchdowns. He has three straight seasons with over 1,000 yards rushing. One of his most memorable games came during his freshman season, when he rushed for 427 yards and five touchdowns against Kansas to surpass Melvin Gordon’s single-game rushing record.

Weaknesses

Like most power backs, Perine lacks the speed to be a home run threat and will never be able to blow by defensive backs in the second level of the defense. The lack of speed will prevent him from being able to get to the edge of the defense. His lack of burst is another red flag on his profile, because he has trouble kicking it into the next gear to get through the hole. He also has limitations when it comes to stopping and regaining speed while running the football. 

Perine suffered an injury in every year of his collegiate career. His freshman and sophomore seasons both ended with ankle injuries, while his junior season was hampered by leg and shoulder injuries. This is a reflection to his bruising running style that causes him to incur more punishment than necessary. There’s a chance that injuries can crop up later in his career due to the pounding his body endures.

Opportunities

The Washington Redskin’s depth chart is his for the taking. Rob Kelley and Matt Jones rushed for 1,164 yards combine last season while averaging 4.36 yards per carry. Neither running back is expected to be the team’s long term option at running back, providing an opportunity for Perine to take over as the starting running back early in his career.

Perine landed in one of the best situations in the league, mostly because the Washington Redskins are dedicated to allocating the appropriate assets to make the offense as explosive as possible. The team used their first-round pick to draft Josh Doctson, who was considered one of the top wide receiver prospects in last year’s draft class and they managed to sign Terrelle Pryor who caught 77 receptions for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns with the Browns last season. Quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a one year $23 million franchise tag with the team earlier this off-season and it appears that the Redskins want to build around him with quality talent. Due to the offense’s ability to move the ball down field, Perine should receive a lot of goal line looks, which will increase his stock in fantasy due to the extra opportunities to score touchdowns. 

Threats

Even though they aren’t prominent prospects, Rob Kelley and Matt Jones do have a chance to chip away at that market share of carries within the offense. Both players are established with the team and might get the first crack the workload come the start of the season.

Another thing to keep in mind is the 2018 draft class is stocked with running back talent and the Redskins could easily draft another running back in next year’s draft. The team doesn’t have much invested in Perine having only spent a fourth-round pick on him, which makes it easy for the team to pull the trigger on another running back. The threat could be real if he starts his career off slow during his rookie season.

Short-Term Expectations

Perine should be competing for snaps early in his career and will have the chance to nab the lead back role for the team early in the season. The Redskins drafted him to eventually take over as the starting running back and unless he epically fails the team will provide the opportunities for him to succeed.

There’s a good chance he finishes his rookie season as an RB2 in fantasy and it’s in the realm of possibilities that he could potentially land in RB1 territory. He’s a very talented prospect and if given the opportunity he should be able to succeed in the league.

Long-Term Expectations

His long-term player value is dependent on whether he can gain the starting running back job for the Redskins. It’s highly likely that he’s going to be the team’s starting running back by the end of the season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s penciled in as the team’s starter for week one. The sky is the limit for Perine because he’s capable of being one of the top running backs in the league. Expect him to be a solid fantasy asset for the next five to eight years.

NFL Comparison

His size, strength and his ability to smoothly move laterally while making his cuts comps him to Michael Turner, former running back for the Atlanta Falcons, who was very successful in the NFL at grinding out the tough yards between the tackles. Turner rushed for 7,338 yards and 66 touchdowns with three season with over 1,000 yards rushing. Perine is more than capable of handling a heavy workload and consistently plowing through defenders to pick up extra yards like Turner did during his NFL career.

Projected Range for Rookie Drafts

Per DLF’s 2017 Rookie ADP, Perine is being selected at 14.20, making him and early second-round pick in rookie drafts, and is currently on average the sixth running back off the board. Right now, he is being drafted anywhere between the fifth to the tenth pick in rookie drafts. Being drafted by the Washington Redskins increased his stock substantially, allowing him to slide into the mid-late portion of the first round in rookie drafts.

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bruce matson