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| Grant Perry (left, with Jack Dunaway) |
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #9
Last year: Perry was a senior in high school. He caught 107 passes for 1,727 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #109 wide receiver, and #866 overall.
TTB Rating: 71
Perry was the guy who kept hanging around Michigan and hanging around Michigan until he finally got an offer. Brady Hoke kept telling Perry to keep coming back and that the staff liked him, but they just never pulled the trigger on an offer. Jim Harbaugh's staff came in and didn't immediately bite, but very late in the process, they gave him an official offer and he accepted shortly before National Signing Day. Fellow Michigan signee Alex Malzone's favorite receiver in high school, Perry was extremely prolific for the powerhouse offense at Brother Rice. Those numbers would be outstanding for college or NFL receivers, and high schoolers usually can't replicate that kind of production.
Perry is really the first player on the countdown where I think, "Well, he could start if certain things go his way." He is not the biggest or most explosive player around, but while Michigan has "big," they basically lack "explosive." The Wolverines have a bunch of possession guys with a couple others who have some athleticism but haven't shown anything on the field yet. I do not think Perry has a chance of being the #1 guy, but he could potentially work in the slot, find his way open, and become a possession guy. The toughest part of the transition for him will be blocking, because he is not large and receivers have to block in a run-heavy offense like Michigan's will be. If he can't chop down a nickel corner or outside linebacker once in a while, he won't see the field much.
Prediction: Backup wide receiver
Perry is not going to start no matter what. I would argue there are so many people ahead of him (Darboh, Chesson, Canteen, Dever, Jones are more experienced and Ways and Cole more talented) that there is next to no chance he is ever in the top 2. Kenny Allen is far more valuable to me and about 50x more likely to start IMO.
ReplyDeleteI Wasn't a fan of recruiting Perry, and I'd be shocked if he started at Michigan at anytime, let alone this year. That said, there's not much reason to red-shirt him, WR can play right away, and Michigan doesn't have any major talents ahead of him. This seems like a fair ranking for a guy who is probably buried behind older players (not to mention H-backs and TEs) but has an outside chance of filing out the bottom of the depth chart. Still, I kind of doubt he's any better than some of the walk-on's MIchigan has, so this might be a little high. Of course, with any freshman, you never know, but Perry's profile and recruiting circumstances make him one of the least impressive recruits Michigan landed since 2011.
When I say "start" I'm talking about as a slot guy in certain packages. Not as a split end or flanker.
Deletenot sure how harbaugh intends to run his program re redshirts and whatnot. but perry should get a shirt this year (unless harbaugh wants to cycle through quicker and see higher annual roster turnover) and then leave after 4 with a diploma unless hes a legit impact player coming back for his 5th year.
Deletecycling the right guys through in 4 years (unless OL, QBs, etc and the types wheres its warranted and beneficial) is huge and allows higher turnover.
theres a huge difference bw signing 60-80 guys per 4 years vs signing approx 100 guys over years - only increases chances of hitting on those impact guys and future professionals that are needed to win rings. im sure harbaugh has a plan, hes obviously very intense and detail-oriented, and weve all seen his track record.
perry seems like an ok player wholl do his part to help the squad but id be surprised if he graduates with more than 800 total rec yards. and thats not a bad thing, thats a solid role - its just going to take a lot for him to be a significant playmaker at highest levels
@Thunder
DeleteWell - that's interesting. The coaches have said something to the effect of "there aren't starters only roles in plays" but I find it hard to believe that there's a role where Perry's skillset is superior to Canteen, Cole, and the other WRs. Remember that Hemingway and Funchess worked out of the slot on a regular basis - the best WRs are the ones that are going to see the field most often. I'm sure there is a role for a stereotypical short/slow/darty 'slot' in certain packages but that's not a position where the team has to reach back to it's 8th best WR to get what they need.
Of course I could be wrong - maybe Perry offers something that the other WRs don't, or maybe he's just more reliable than his competition, have but based on his recruitment and freshman status I think it's a huge longshot.
I made the same argument about limiting redshirts to maximize number of players. It's obviously nice to retain the flexibility to keep a guy for his 5th year but Perry (and other low ceiling players like him) should play if they can help the team in any way.
DeleteBy 2019, Michigan should have better options at WR than Grant Perry and they should be keeping scholarships open to find their next superstar. In other words, if he can help in 2019, he can probably help in 2015.
I hear where you're coming from, Lanknows, but there's no telling whether there's *any* WR talent ahead of Perry on this roster, save Darboh. Canteen, Jones and Dever don't have 100 yards between them, and Chesson doesn't have much more. Mich has been making incomprehensible decisions at WR going back to when J. Jackson was out there two years ago. Cole of course is promising, but it's entirely possible that we misfired on all the rest.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wonder is how much of the lack of WR talent was due to the last coaching staff and how much was due to talent and ability. I don't know, but I think it's very possible.
DeleteAnyway, just because the returning guys are unexceptional doesn't mean a MAC-level recruit is going to make an impact, just as Devin Gardner's struggles didn't turn Bellomy, Speights, or Morris into a Big Ten QB. In other words: demand isn't the same as supply.
I have high hopes for Canteen - who had offers from all over the country and broke through to get playing time by the end of last year. I think there's a good chance he's a the #1 WR this year.