The Baltimore Ravens got dealt a terrible card when their first-round draft pick Breshad Perriman ended up getting severely injured in training camp and ended up missing the entire season. Now, he’s excited and anxious to deliver huge results come next season.
As the 26th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Perriman was destined to make an impact on his new team in the Ravens this season. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t in his favor due to a severe injury he suffered on the very first day of training camp he reported to this past summer.
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With a torn PCL injury to his knee during the summer, it never truly got enough time to heal naturally and as Perriman was trying to shake it off and be ready to make the transition from college football to the pro scene this season, he was unable to.
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Much to the credit of Perriman and due to his extraordinary work ethic, he tried to resume football activities by practicing weekly with his team but ended up aggravating it even further. It got to the point that he needed arthroscopic surgery to determine the severity of his knee injury and was effectively shut down for the season to allow it to heal on its own.
The worst part about an injury like this is the fact that he’ll be able to return next season and pick up where he left off but it’s all about getting past the mental block. It’s hard to focus on route running, blocking and being able to make huge receptions if one is constantly worried about re-injuring yourself due to a knee injury that could linger in the future.
Perriman could have come back later on this season but considering the Ravens are 2-7 for the year at this point in time, there is very little hope of them rebounding enough to make a serious run at the NFL Playoffs. It’s not easy to accept a losing season but injuries and a lack of consistency across the team has doomed the team to start thinking about the future.
Considering just how great Perriman was in college with Central Florida, it brings much hope that he will definitely deliver some big results come next season. In his college career, Perriman totaled 2,243 receiving yards on 115 receptions for 16 touchdowns. He averaged 19.5 yards per reception which shows his speedy big play-making abilities to keep those chains moving.
Nov 22, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; UCF Knights wide receiver Breshad Perriman (11) catches an 18-yard touchdown pass against the Southern Methodist Mustangs in the first half at Bright House Networks Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
The Ravens absolutely need a wide receiver with the skill-set Perriman possesses which is why they made the best decision for the team and for his respective NFL career to be patient in his recovery by placing him on IR. It’ll take time as it was in the best interest of both to shut him down and get him ready to make a big impact in 2016.
It’s quite impressive to see that Perriman, at the young age of just 22 years old, has a great head on his shoulders when dealing with all this. In an article written by Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com, here is what Perriman had to say about his setback due to injury this season:
"“That’s really been the hardest thing for me is staying positive and knowing next year is going to be my year,” Perriman said. “Whenever I’ve faced adversity, I’ve always come back hard.”"
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Overall, fans should be excited about his potential next season with the Ravens. There is no guarantee that he’ll be able to be an overachiever in 2016 but with his head in the game and a recovery on pace to never have it happen again, Perriman could be a huge part of their comeback season next year.