LSU’s Harold Perkins to declare for NFL Draft. Where does Mel Kiper rank him?

LSU is looking to become a team that is back in the running for the national championship. They have brought in Lane Kiffin to be the coach, and LSU has added Sam Leavitt at quarterback. Still, they will be losing one of their top players as they head to the NFL Draft.

LSU outside linebacker Harold Perkins is foregoing his final year of eligibility and is expected to declare for the NFL Draft, according to Matt Zenitz of CBSSports.

Perkins is coming off a slight down season with LSU. He had 55 tackles with three pass breakups, four sacks, a forced fumble, and three interceptions. He was seen as a player who could leave after the 2024 season, but injuries cut that season short, leading to him returning to LSU this past year. In his career with the Tigers, Perkins has 217 tackles with 11 pass breakups, 17 sacks, seven forced fumbles, and five interceptions.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Perkins ranked 11th among outside linebackers on his latest big board. This likely places him outside of the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft. In the preseason and early into the season, multiple sources had Perkins as a late first-round pick. Still, with the ACL injury that cost the linebacker the 2024 season, combined with the fact that he had a sub-par year compared to his other seasons, his draft strock as plummeted.

Some now have him as low as a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The latest NFL Mock Draft provided by ClutchPoints has just two linebackers going in the first round of the NFL Draft. With so few linebackers going early, this will only push Perkins’ draft stock lower.

Perkins will get a chance to show his skill and worth at the NFL Combine from February 23 through March 2. The NFL Draft begins on April 23 and runs through April 25.

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