Friday Feature #4: Suntarine Perkins

Ole Miss takes on Washington State this weekend, expecting to lay down a marker against the Cougars, following some impressive, hard-fought wins against SEC competition. With wins over LSU, Arkansas and Kentucky on the board, the Rebels finally look set to end their CFP drought under Coach Lane Kiffin. Their #1 edge rusher in 2025 was expected to be Suntarine Perkins, after both Princely Umanmielen and Jared Ivey departed for the NFL. It hasn’t quite been a step-up year so far for the Junior pass rusher, but with time still to go in the season, he could be a big riser through the pre-draft process. Check out my detailed scouting report on Perkins below:

Background & Measurables

Name: Suntarine Perkins

Year: Junior

Size: 6’2, 220 pounds

Position/Scheme Fit: Designated pass rusher in a 4-2-5 defense

Former 5-star recruit and Top 25 player in the country back in 2023, according to 247 Sports. He was the #1 player in the state of Mississippi and stayed home, committing to the Ole Miss Rebels. Played at a high level in HS on both offense and defense, with some ridiculous stat lines, such as a State Title game, where he had 337 rushing yards and 4 TDs, while also having six tackles and an INT.

Perkins played immediately at Ole Miss, and was a Freshman All-American and All-SEC. He appeared in all 13 games and started two in his first season with the Rebels, playing 429 total snaps across defense and special teams. He led all Ole Miss freshman with 38 total tackles (18 solo), 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, one pass breakup, along with one QB hurry.

He stepped it up in 2024, starting 8 games and being named All-SEC third Team. He played in all 13 games for the Rebels and started eight, all at defensive end, helping anchor the best rush defense in the nation and one of the best defenses in Ole Miss history. He was fourth on the team with 60 total tackles (32 solo) and was tied for the team lead in both TFL (14.0 for 70 yards) and sacks (10.5 for 63 yards).

Prior to the 2025 season, he was named to a number of Preseason award watch lists, including the Chuck Bednarik and Bronko Nagurski. While he is yet to record a sack in 2025, his performances overall have been solid enough to keep him

Detailed Scouting Report

Strengths

1. Plays with a high motor. Keeps his legs moving to work back towards the ball carrier, even when initially pushed back by bigger offensive linemen.

2. Strong tackle technique. Long arms and burst give him an advantage, as does his off-ball linebacker background. Missed some tackles down the stretch for Ole Miss in 2024, but was dominant in the first half of that season, missing only 1 tackle in 8 games.

3. Versatile player who lines up in multiple spots for the Rebels. Plays off the edge and occasionally in the box, where he can pin his ears back and rush from a variety of alignments. Has played much more in coverage in 2025 so far, where he has really been solid, allowing only 2 catches for 10 yards.

4. Has put on more weight and looked stronger in 2025. Bull-rushed on a rep vs LSU impressively and generally looks bulkier and more able to hold up to the demands of the edge position. Teams will still worry about his positional longevity at that size, but there might be fewer concerns come the pre-draft process if he can put on weight and maintain the explosiveness off the snap.

Development Points

1. Size could be a real issue for Perkins. At 220, he would be among the smallest edge rushers in the NFL and may also struggle to stick at off-ball linebacker due to a lack of college football reps there. Some teams may view him with uncertainty as a scheme fit.

2. Underwent offseason labrum surgery for a shoulder injury in January 2025, which caused him to miss spring practice. While sidelined for the Spring, he recovered in time for the season, but one to watch.

3. Does not play the run effectively. Can be moved off his spot too easily and struggles to disengage from blocks on time to clog lanes and force runners inside and away from the boundary.

4. Nowhere near as much splash in 2025 so far, and is away from the action too often. 11 sacks in 2024, while not a single sack in the first 5 games of 2025. Needs to be more aggressive to get after the QB on obvious passing downs.

Conclusion

Perkins came to Ole Miss as a 5-star recruit and made an immediate impact, putting in impressive back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024 to put his name among the top edge rushers in the class. While his 2025 has not started as explosively, his overall game looks strong as he has cut down on missed tackles and put on some weight. He will likely need more splash to move up draft boards and help Ole Miss make a CFP run to convince teams to overlook his general lack of size against the run.

Grade: 6.5/9.0 (2nd-3rd round grade)

Player Comp: Robert Mathis

Team Fits: 49ers, Jets