NFL Draft Potential Patriots: USC DE Nick Perry

WEEI.com will continue to offer daily insight and analysis regarding options that may be available to the Patriots when it comes to the 2012 NFL draft. Here is one is a series of profiles of players who could be on the board when it’s time for the Patriots to make a selection.

Nick Perry (left) might be moved from defensive end to linebacker in the NFL. (AP)

NICK PERRY

Position: Defensive end

School: USC

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 250 pounds

Achievements: All-Pac 12 first team (2011)

What he brings: Perry is an agile pass rusher who impressed in the Pac-12 with a league-leading 9.5 sacks in the 2011 season. His is a player who is aggressive on every snap and has a no-quit mentality, an attitude sure to please Bill Belichick. Perry also has the potential to be converted from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 linebacker, but his inexperience at that position means he may need some time to adjust before becoming an effective player. Perry does not have the size expected out of his position, but he makes up for that with his quick step and ability to read and react swiftly to shifting players and changing plays.

Where the Patriots could get him: Round 1

Notes: Perry can be inconsistent at times, looking like a sure first-rounder in some games and a second- or third-rounder in others. For example, Perry had 10 tackles and a sack in an Oct. 1 win over Arizona but just two assists and no sacks in a Sept. 17 win over Syracuse. In addition to leading the league in sacks, Perry led the team in forced fumbles (3) and recorded one fumble recovery. He finished fifth on the Trojans with 54 tackles in the 2011 season.

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USC defensive end Nick Perry to enter NFL draft

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Video: Here’s Perry against Washington.