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New England Patriots outside linebacker Ronnie Perkins is already setting the bar high entering his rookie year.
Perkins, a third-round pick out of Oklahoma, made the switch from No. 52 in training camp to No. 51 ahead of the Patriots’ preseason matchup against the Washington Football Team. Jerod Mayo, the Patriots’ inside linebackers coach who spent eight years as a player, is one of the more prominent members to don that same number.
Perkins is aware of the accomplishments during his time as a player and relayed the message he received from Mayo while choosing the No. 51.
“He’s like, ‘You’ve got to carry on that legacy. That’s a big number to wear,’ ” Perkins said, transcribed by NESN. “… Mayo told me I’ve got to carry the tradition, man. You can’t wear that number and go out there doing BS. To wear that number, you’ve got to go out there and knock their heads off playing fast. So (I’ve) got to carry on that tradition for him.”
Ja’Whaun Bentley carried that number since 2018, but he made the switch to No. 8 with the new NFL jersey rules.
“I told Bent if I could get 51, I want it, because he just switched out of it,” Perkins said “I was like, ‘if I could get that, I’d be happy.’ … It’s kind of like me just carrying on their tradition and balling out in that number.”
In three seasons at Oklahoma, Perkins tallied 98 tackles with 32 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. He played in 53 percent of the Patriots’ snaps against Washington and played a huge part in Joejuan Williams’ interception.
Check out #Patriots rookie Ronnie Perkins using straight speed-to-power to bull rush the right tackle into Montez's lap. pic.twitter.com/abEzji12pM
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 13, 2021
The future is bright for Perkins.
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