San Diego Chargers: Denzel Perryman has ‘it’ factor
By Andrew Long
Denzel Perryman joined the San Diego Chargers in 2015, when the team selected him in the second round of the draft. Since joining the team, the inside linebacker has proven that he possesses the ability to succeed at the professional level.
The San Diego Chargers selected inside linebacker Denzel Perryman with their second round choice in the 2015 NFL Draft. The selection didn’t garner much attention at the time, but, after a year of solid play in the middle of San Diego’s defense, it appears as if the 22-year-old has what it takes to succeed at the next level.
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Coming in at 5-11 and 236 pounds, Perryman doesn’t possess the size that many coordinators prefer their linebackers to have. That being said, on the field play will always trump the measurables – if a player is a little smaller than average but still finds a way to make plays, people will quickly forget about his lack of size.
If you watched the San Diego Chargers down the stretch last season, you’re likely fully aware that this is the case with Denzel Perryman. He doesn’t have the size, but his raw ability and football instincts allow him to track down ball carriers with relative ease, traits that should never be overlooked when you’re talking about inside linebackers.
I believe that his combination of football smarts and tenacity is what makes him so valuable to the Chargers, as these traits allow him to effectively seek out gaps in the opposition’s blocking schemes, which, more often than not, ends with him dragging down the ball carrier. These traits can be developed with good coaching, but the successful inside linebackers usually possess them from day one – which is good news for Perryman.
He finished his rookie campaign with the second most tackles on the team, trailing only Manti Te’o in the category. All in all, Denzel Perryman secured 58 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble in nine starts for the San Diego Chargers.
From week six and beyond, Perryman was a fixture in the San Diego defense, recording 54 of his 58 tackles in that time frame. In the final nine games of Perryman’s rookie season, he averaged six tackles per contest. If he were to play at that level for the entirety of a 16-game season, he would finish just shy of 100 tackles on the year, with 96 to his credit.
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That kind of production would supply the San Diego Chargers with a quality inside linebacker, one that would likely be around for a long time, too. Denzel Perryman and Manti Te’o could grow to become one of the better inside linebacker tandems in the NFL. And while Perryman isn’t as well known as Te’o, it is my belief that he will become the better player of the two in the long run.
His rookie season was impressive, especially down the stretch, but I think that 2015 was only the tip of the iceberg for Denzel Perryman. In my opinion, his football IQ and natural instincts will allow him to develop into one of the best inside linebackers in the league.