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The second-leading producer in terms of all-purpose yardage in the history of Mississippi State football may soon do his work at Lambeau Field as he will head to the Green Bay Packers after a surprising fall out of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Headed to Green Bay in the a.m. with a big chip on my shoulder can't wait to get there ready to show what I ... http://t.co/6iF4t72oJ8
— LaDarius Perkins (@DarioPerkins27) May 11, 2014
Perkins, who racked up 542 yards on a team high 137 carries last year, finished second on the squad in rushing yards in 2013, only trailing quarterback Dak Prescott, in a season that saw the senior deal with injury, even though he made 12 starts.
To get a better feel as to the player Perkins can be, Green Bay fans should look to his junior year when he picked up second team All-SEC honors. In a crowded backfield his junior season, Perkins emerged as the go-to back in Starkville, scoring a rushing touchdown in his first seven games of the season.
Perkins eclipsed the 100-yard mark on four occasions during the 2012 season, finishing with 1024 yards on 205 carries, making him just the ninth Mississippi State player to go over 1000 yards in a season. His average of 85.3 yards per game ranked seventh in the SEC for the season, and he finished with eight rushing touchdowns.
With Vick Ballard carrying the load in the 2011 season, Perkins saw action in every contest as more of a change of pace back for the Bulldogs.
After redshirting his true freshman season in 2009, Perkins had a dynamic redshirt season in 2010, picking up 566 rushing yards on 101 carries and 247 receiving yards on nine catches. In all, he found the end zone six times, three on the ground and three through the air. His biggest game came in Mississippi State's rivalry game against Ole Miss, the Battle for the Golden Egg. In that contest, he picked up 319 all-purpose yards, at the time, the second most productive game in school history.
In the 5' 7", 195 pound running back, the Packers have signed a player that can come in and contribute immediately on special teams, and should be able to be used as a change of pace back as well.
Most Mississippi State fans would agree that the Bulldogs underused Perkins in the passing game in his time in Starkville, and he has the ability to be a dynamic pass catcher out of the backfield, and he could line up as a receiver as well.
Perkins has a thick build, and he can power through arm tackles, and he does play with a bit of shiftiness, helping him escape situations where he can appear bottled up at times.