Athletic Brown quarterback EJ Perry awaits 2022 NFL Draft, has maintained busy schedule

Walking into the Houston Texans’ weight room at dawn three years ago, EJ Perry was wide-eyed and excited when he saw star defensive end J.J. Watt march in with a serious mood.

It was 6:05 a.m., and the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year began hoisting heavy metal. The future Brown standout quarterback and NFL Draft prospect was attending the Texans’ training camp as a guest of his uncle, John Perry, the team’s receivers coach who’s now the offensive coordinator at Sam Houston State.

Brown QB EJ Perry reflects on Houston Texans training camp visit

“It was an unbelievable experience to get a feel for the intensity that’s there within a daily NFL practice, the regimen in terms of maintaining bodies and minds and practicing at a high level,” Perry said. “There was tremendous effort, and I saw all the attention to detail.

“My uncle has been an amazing resource for me throughout my whole career. When I was really young, when he was at Merrimack [as head coach], I would be in the meeting room with him and on the field, and he taught me a lot of fundamentals about how to throw.”

Before transferring to Brown from Boston College and emerging as the top offensive player in the Ivy League and a finalist for the Walter Payton award, the Andover, Massachusetts native spent time at the Texans’ training camp attending quarterback meetings. That included three-time Pro Bowl selection Deshaun Watson.

“I got an opportunity to sit in on two quarterback meetings, and I got to listen to how those meetings operate,” Perry said. “I was observing, and it was a good experience. It was pretty cool.”

Now, Perry is preparing for his own NFL moment.

Dual-threat quarterback

Perry was a four-year starter in high school, playing under his father. As a senior, he shined in Andover. He passed for a single-game state record 636 yards and finished the year with 3,398 passing yards, 47 passing touchdowns, 1,006 rushing yards, and 13 rushing TDs. During his high school career, Perry totaled 8,712 yards and 114 touchdowns.

After a stint at Boston College, Perry went on to play for his uncle, James Perry, at Brown.

“I’d say the quarterback [an NFL team is] getting is one that is both mobile and accurate and an efficient passer who uses his mobility to extend plays while continuing to look to throw the ball downfield,” Perry said. “I hope to continue to do that at the next level and push the ball downfield when things break down and efficiently pass when guys get open.”

Visited Texans, worked out for Cardinals, Saints

Perry has had a top-30 visit with the Texans and Las Vegas Raiders and private workouts with the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints, per a league source. He excelled in the East-West Shrine Bowl, completing 13 of 18 passes for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns. He even rushed for 2 two-point conversions and was named offensive MVP.

East-West Shrine MVP

“EJ is a highly talented quarterback, both athletically and in his arm talent that places him among the most gifted in the 2022 draft class at quarterback,” said Eric Galko, the director of football operations for the East-West Shrine Bowl.

“He’s produced and impressed despite limited NFL talent around him at Brown, and he has all the tools to develop into an NFL quarterback and the athleticism to be a weapon at the next level.”

At Brown, Perry was an immediate All-Ivy League selection in 2019, passing for 2,938 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also led the team with 730 rushing yards and 8 scores and played for the basketball team.

Last season, Perry won the Bushnell Cup as the top offensive player in the Ivy League. He passed for 3,033 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions with 402 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns.

Perry excelled at the NFL Combine

At the NFL Combine, Perry had the highest overall athleticism score of any quarterback invited. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds, had a 4.18 short shuttle, a 6.85 three-cone drill, a 34 1/2″ vertical leap, and a 10’3″ broad jump.

“EJ has a rare combination of athleticism, extreme intelligence, and a fierce work ethic,” said his Massachusetts-based agent Sean Stellato. “He has been around the game since a young age and has rewritten record books at every level he has played at.”

Perry has worked out for the draft with New England Patriots quarterbacks Mac Jones and Jarrett Stidham at Edge Performance Systems in Foxborough.

“I felt good about my performance at the Combine,” Perry said. “I performed near or better than what I was testing at in training for all the drills. I felt good throwing the ball and had a good week of interviews. I think it is important throughout this process to show all of the abilities and different things you bring to the table, and I felt I demonstrated my mobility and athleticism to teams at the Combine.”

Perry had a formal interview with the Texans and roughly 20 informal meetings in Indianapolis.

“Most of the meetings focused on my responsibilities in the run game, protections,” Perry explained. “Some form of recall test and a general explanation of my offense and passing game. A number of teams had me draw up plays for specific situations, i.e. 3rd-and-long, red zone, drive-starter, etc. A few teams showed me some things from their offense and asked for me to explain it back to them later in the interview.

“Whatever team I go with will get a player relentlessly pursuing and trying to find ways to become a better football player. That is where my sole focus is now and will be until the day the first game starts. And at that time, it will be time to compete in whatever role I find myself in.”

Having gone 7-33 in the past four seasons, Brown isn’t a hot spot for NFL scouts. No player has been drafted out of Brown since 2010, but the school has produced NFL players like James Develin, Sean Morey, and Zak DeOssie.

The Rhode Island school had 31 of 32 teams visit last fall to scout Perry. The Ivy League has also produced other NFL quarterbacks, including Ryan Fitzpatrick from Harvard, Sid Luckman from Columbia, Jay Fiedler and Jeff Kemp from Dartmouth, and Jason Garrett from Princeton.

Signed with veteran agent

After the season, Perry signed with Stellato, who has represented multiple NFL players.

“Sean, the thing that attracted me to him is a very personable guy and a really good person,” Perry said. “He never stops. He’s relentless. We had a really good relationship where I could just call him, and he would know how to move forward. We have a similar mindset. He’s been an unbelievable partner, and I’m looking forward to continuing our relationship throughout my NFL career.”

Perry (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) passed for nearly 6,000 yards and rushed for over 1,100 yards in two seasons at Brown. He has drawn some comparisons to mobile Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

NFL scout weighs in on Perry

“He can play,” an NFL scout said. “He’s for real. I like him in the middle to later portion of the draft as other quarterbacks come off the draft boards.”

Perry was invited to the prestigious Manning Passing Academy last year. In the process, he got to compete with Alabama quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young. Additionally, Perry met Peyton Manning and Eli Manning.

“EJ has obviously grown up with the game with his dad being his coach and two of his uncles being coaches. He’s been a gym rat his whole life,” John Perry said. “He’s strong. He’s fast. He’s got the mind for things. He’s been around it. He’ll be a good combination dual-threat athlete. He’s got the arm strength to be a pocket passer, and he does have the athletic ability.

“He’s been really exceptional as far as playing multiple sports. He was one of the top basketball players in New England, but he chose to play football. He’s a kid who’s been able to really excel at a lot of things. Now that he’s focused his attention on football, he’s really blossomed as a quarterback.”

Off the field, Perry is looking forward to fitting into the locker room and the community. He wants to eventually get involved in charity efforts. Most of all, he hopes to be a leader.

“I take pride in hopefully being a role model, and eventually, if I’m lucky enough to be in a city and part of a community, help and be part of that community,” Perry said. “It’s something we’ve seen throughout the NFL and how these guys have an opportunity to do great things in the community and give back.

“I think there’s a balance as a quarterback. You have to hold yourself to the highest standard and lead by example. I have to focus on knowing my job and my role to 100% know my role in the offense and what we have going on before you can become anything more than that as a leader.”