Where will Falcons play Harold Perkins Jr.?

FLOWERY BRANCH — Harold Perkins Jr. insists he’s an anxious person, not a nervous one. He wasn’t afraid or fearful pulling into the Falcons’ facilities last week for rookie minicamp, merely ready to hit the ground running and validate the team’s belief in its sixth-round pick.

But the days leading up to Perkins’ arrival in Flowery Branch required a few reminders.

“Just remember it’s football at the end of the day,” Perkins said. “Like, ‘You’ve been doing this your whole life. So, you’re good.’”

Perkins, a New Orleans native who grew up a Saints fan, said he enjoyed his first weekend with the Falcons. The facility — and the structured nature of the daily schedule — offered Perkins an immediate reminder that he’s at a different level.

But the LSU product feels quite at home on the field. The Falcons started Perkins at weakside linebacker, a position he loves, during their minicamp installation process.

“It’s fun,” Perkins said. “Move around, go run and hit — (it’s) what I love to do, make plays.”

That’s the first answer, if only partial, to the Falcons’ plans for Perkins. During the pre-draft process, the 6-foot-1, 222-pound Perkins told teams he believes he’s the most versatile player in the rookie class. He has experience rushing the passer on the end of the line of scrimmage, along with covering and roaming from sideline to sideline at the second level of the defense.

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said after the team used the 215th overall pick on Perkins they were still “working through” their vision for him. The Falcons valued his versatility in the front seven along with his ability to play on special teams.

The coaching staff’s job, Stefanski said, is to figure out Perkins’ best role. For now, that means playing weakside linebacker. But after Perkins masters those responsibilities, he hopes to add more to his plate — because versatility, in his eyes, is his best attribute.

“Whatever position that’s going to keep me on the field, that’s what I prefer,” Perkins said. “I just want to help my team get in the best position to win.”

Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be at the center of deciphering Perkins’ positional future. Ulbrich, who spent a decade playing linebacker in the NFL, has earned a strong reputation for developing talent at the position.

Perkins said Ulbrich hasn’t yet spoken to him about the team’s vision for his role. For the time being, both parties are focused on acclimation and gradual growth, and Perkins has already become fond of his new defensive coordinator.

“I like him,” Perkins said. “Coaching style, type of person he is — always the same person, never nothing different. You can expect the same person every day.”

The Falcons bought low on Perkins, a former 5-star recruit who was a projected first-round pick entering the 2024 season before he tore his ACL in September. He returned to the field in 2025 and earned third-team All-SEC honors, capping a decorated college career in which he started 36 games and made 220 tackles, 35 ½ tackles for loss, 17 sacks, eight forced fumbles and five interceptions.

“You thought this was going to be the next one,” general manager Ian Cunningham said after the draft. “Unfortunately, he’s battled some injuries earlier in his career, and he’s come back and we’re excited about the versatility that he brings and excited about where we got him.”

Perkins’ knee is at full strength, and the Falcons drafted him with hope he can return to the level he reached before his injury. Cunningham, in his first year as general manager, said the team has scouts who have been through LSU each year and remember how Perkins jumped off the tape as a freshman in 2022.

The Falcons brushed up on Perkins’ pre-injury film and spent extensive time on his 2025 tape. They wanted to find the root of his dip in performance, be it the ACL tear, developmental missteps or a different position. No matter the answer, the Falcons’ scouts left their exploration believing in Perkins’ upside.