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What scouts are saying about Thomas Perry: Middlebury College's NFL Draft hopeful
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- What scouts are saying about Thomas Perry: Middlebury College's NFL Draft hopeful
(This story was updated to because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
Thomas Perry made school history as Middlebury College's first three-time All-American and first participant at the East-West Shrine Bowl.
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Perry hopes the firsts continue this week and his name is one of the 257 players called during the 2025 NFL Draft. The draft's first round is Thursday, April 24, in Green Bay, Wisconsin; it continues Friday with rounds 2 and 3 and concludes Saturday with rounds 4-7.
Middlebury has yet to have a player drafted into the moden NFL (three Middlebury players were drafted in the 1940s and 50s). Alumnus Stephen Hauschka had a long career as a kicker in the NFL that included winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, but he was a free-agent acquisition after the draft was complete.
Perry is a 6-foot-3, 317-pound offensive lineman who is considered a potential Day 3 selection by several NFL Draft experts and analysts.
Thomas Perry's career at Middlebury College
A native of Killingworth, Connecticut, Perry was a longtime starter at left guard for the Panthers (made 30 starts). He was a member of the 2023 NESCAC championship team and was a three-time first team offensive selection for the conference (2022-24).
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As a senior, Perry earned All-America honors from AFCA, D3football.com and Walter Camp Division III. Perry, who is a molecular biology and biochemistry major with an 3.92 grade-point average , was the program's first invitee to the East-West Shrine Bowl after the 2024 season, and he was also the only player to attend from Division III.
His nickname is "Thomas the Tank."
Thomas Perry at the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl
At the 100th edition of the East-West Shrine Bowl in January, Perry switched from guard to center and caught the attention of NFL scouts, including Dane Brugler of The Athletic. Brugler said Perry is "one of the strongest players in the draft. Tireless worker. Just needs reps and development."
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"With only three weeks at center under his belt, Thomas showed that he belongs on this stage," Duke Manyweather, Perry's trainer, told Middlebury athletics . "He handled this positional transition extremely well and I am very proud of him. Thomas is a special human and player, and now the world is starting to see these qualities. I've coached a lot of professionals and I've never seen a player go as viral as Thomas has this quickly."
The Athletic also wrote a detailed feature on Perry that was published this winter.
Thomas Perry's stock for the 2025 NFL Draft
Here's a sampling of what NFL Draft analysts are saying about Perry:
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Bleacher Report :A developmental prospect for the fifth round who is an untested, undersized center who dominated on film. Has combination of raw power, athleticism and intangibles. Could carve out role on a rookie contract. Bleacher Reporter also ranked Perry 24th among interior linemen in the draft.
ESPN :Called a "hidden gem" because of his strength, lower-body flexibility, versatility and football IQ. One AFC area scout said this about Perry: "Talk to the kid, you're impressed with all of it. I'll say in our meetings there's a place for this guy and let's see what he becomes."
The Athletic: Brugler ranks Perry as the 11th prospect among the 70 centers in the draft. "(H)e is wired the right way with the intelligence, athleticism and power worth the investment," Brugler wrote.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com . Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5 .
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: NFL scouts on draft prospect Thomas Perry of Middlebury College
