Don’t expect much from Malcolm Perry with the Miami Dolphins in 2020

The Miami Dolphins recently signed one of their 2020 draft picks to his first professional contract and some fans are excited for what he could potentially bring to the offence.

Seventh-round (246th overall) selection Malcolm Perry has officially signed his contract with the Miami Dolphins and will compete to have an impact role on the team in 2020.

Perry is a truly intriguing player for the Dolphins, having lined up at quarterback, running back and wide receiver during his days at the Naval Academy, though he has typically been penned in as a passer.

Despite being listed as a QB, Perry managed to eclipse 1,000 passing yards just once during his four-year college career, being utilised far more often in other positions.

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As such, he entered the 2020 NFL Draft as a receiver, despite clearly having had far more success while working out of the backfield.

In 2019 alone, Perry ran for 2,017 yards and 21 touchdowns – being named Offensive Player of the Year for the American Athletic Conference. In total, he has accumulated 4,359 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns along the ground.

The decision to enter as a receiver is a curious one, given he only has 470 combined receiving yards across his college career.

The inconsistency with where he will play in the NFL is likely to see him take a bit longer to adjust to the professional game.

Fans hope he can be a useful utility player that can line up in a number of packages, including out wide, in the backfield and potentially even under center at times.

But expectations for a big impact should be tempered for the 2020 season, with the Miami Dolphins needing to determine where the 5-foot-10, 181lbs athlete fits into Brian Flores‘ system and Chan Gailey‘s offensive scheme.

Having a player that can line up in multiple roles can be a huge benefit for the Dolphins, who were not afraid to attempt trick plays during Flores’ first year as a coach.

Perry has plenty of tools at his disposal, being a shifty player that can break tackles and manoeuvre in a way that gets him out of trouble quickly, but will need to prove to the team that his skillset translates to the professional game.

With Jordan Howard and Matt Breida penned in as the team’s running back tandem in 2020, he could have an opportunity to sit behind them and learn the running schemes before being given more looks along the ground, despite not having a typical build for the position.

If he can develop into a contributor in all areas of the offence, a seventh-round pick is an excellent price for the Dolphins to have paid, but patience will certainly be the key when observing how his career progresses.