Former Brown quarterback EJ Perry gets an official predraft visit with the Patriots

Leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft, EJ Perry continues to be a hot name. After a standout career at Brown University, the quarterback has had an eye-opening offseason that is likely to lead to him being drafted later this month.

On Wednesday, Perry didn’t have to travel far to get a taste of what it would be like to play in the NFL. According to ESPN, Perry was scheduled to travel to Gillette Stadium for an official predraft visit with the Patriots.

Considering that Perry grew up in Andover, Mass., and went to Boston College before transferring to Brown, he would be a local fan favorite if head coach Bill Belichick decides to draft the athletic quarterback. Last season, Perry was the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year and a Third-team All-American. He compiled 3,033 yards passing with 23 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Perry also added 402 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns to his totals.

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Perry’s draft stock has been on the rise since he graduated from Brown in December. He earned an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl in February in Las Vegas. While there, he was named the practice player of the week and earned Offensive MVP honors. That landed him a spot at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, where he showed the league he was one of the most athletic quarterbacks eligible for this year’s draft.

Perry led all quarterbacks in the three-cone and 20-yard shuttle drills. He finished second in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and broad jump. If those achievements were not enough, Perry also went viral after a video caught him picking up leftover trash on the field inside Lucas Oil Stadium. On March 22, he worked out at Holy Cross in Worcester for his Pro Day in front of 26 NFL scouts. Patriots team personnel coordinator Brian Smith ran the Pro Day.

With the Patriots bringing in Perry for an official visit, it certainly seems as if Perry has left an impression. This offseason, Perry also has had predraft visits with the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans and private workouts with the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints.

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According to multiple NFL sources, Perry is expected to be drafted on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. That would make him the first Ivy League quarterback to be drafted since Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2005 and the first Brown quarterback since Bob Bateman in 1976. The Athletic projects him as a sixth- or seventh-round draft pick. In ESPN’s recent seven-round mock draft, Perry was projected to be drafted by the Raiders with pick 227 in the seventh round.

From the Patriots' standpoint, the team already has three quarterbacks on the roster with Mac Jones, Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham.

With Stidham in the final year of his contract, the team could pursue a developmental quarterback to eventually backup Jones. That’s where Perry could come in.

Perry’s athleticism has drawn comparisons with Saints quarterback and tight end Taysom Hill. Some NFL observers also think Perry could contribute on special teams.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 2022 NFL draft: Brown QB EJ Perry visiting the New England Patriots