Photo credit: Odell Beckham (Left) - Al Bello/Getty Images, Breshad Perriman (Right): ESPN.com

Russell Street Report Street Talk Far From Too Late for Breshad Perriman

What if I was to tell you that two rookie receivers wouldn’t see the field until October, but would end up being major playmakers for their clubs by year’s end?

What if I was to tell you that one of those players was so good down the stretch, his play propelled his team into playoff contention, yet he wasn’t even active for the first six games of the season?

Would you take those results?

You don’t have to look any further than the Ravens’ biggest rival to find one of the players in question. If you guessed Martavis Bryant, you would be correct. The other player? Odell Beckham Jr.

We all know the story of Beckham Jr., otherwise known as ODB. His season was something out of the stratosphere. Moss-like in every way. In fact, Beckham Jr. and Moss finished with nearly identical yardage their rookie seasons (a shade over 1,300). Yet ODB achieved his numbers in 12 games.

In the case of ODB, there were expectations. In the case of Bryant, he was looked at as a project. The former Clemson Tiger had a rep for being supremely talented but raw coming out of college. He was plagued by drops and was labeled as a boom or bust prospect.

In fact, here’s what NFL.com had to say about Bryant before the 2014 draft:

Shaky hands — tends to double-clutch the ball and makes too many easy drops. Is not a polished route runner — is stiff in and out of his breaks.

Sound familiar?

You could swap the names of Bryant with Breshad Perriman at the top of these scouting reports and no one would know the difference. To that end, ODB also suffered from “concentration drops.”

The pundits who have come out and already declared that it’s too late for Perriman to make an impact this season aren’t paying attention to recent history.

The league has changed dramatically. Rookie wideouts can make an impact at any point, even if they have to fight their way up the depth chart. With the expansion of more three and four-wide formations in a pass-happy league, rookie receivers get plenty of playing time.

In fact, looking at last year’s class (which is shaping up to be the best in NFL history), it’s easier to name the rookies that didn’t contribute to their teams in some way. Including the ones who weren’t drafted in the first two rounds. Along with Bryant (a fourth-round pick), Donte Moncrief (third-round) and John Brown (third-round) were also important chess pieces for their respective teams.

The odds seem stacked against Perriman to make an immediate impact at the beginning of the season. That argument is fair. But his season is far from lost. Even as a raw player who has to hone his technical skills – route running, route recognition, and concentration catching the ball being the most prominent areas – Perriman has the physical tools to overcome those shortcomings. All he has to do is get onto the field.

It may be frustrating for fans and observers to see the rookie continue to toil away with what seems like a pretty ordinary injury. But he has a PCL sprain. Not a bruised knee. A PCL sprain normally requires a six-week healing process. Ligament injuries are typically more severe.

For instance, former Raven Jacoby Jones went down with an MCL sprain during the 2013 season and ended up missing four games.

Here’s the good news for Perriman: It’s not like any of the other receivers on the team are so far ahead of him that he needs binoculars to see them.

Right now, any receiver not named Steve Smith Sr. is still very much within striking distance on the depth chart.

Kamar Aiken has been the steadiest performer and deserves being the starter opposite of Smith at this point. Michael Campanaro continues to impress when he’s healthy – but can he stay healthy? Marlon Brown has yet to show up this preseason.

Of all things, Perriman will be duking it out with fellow rookie Darren Waller for playing time early on in the year. Waller is much further along at this point than anyone could have imagined, and has a legitimate chance to be part of the WR rotation.

Given Perriman’s injury and lost preseason, it’s more realistic that he’ll be a fixture in the offense after the first quarter of the season. The Ravens will certainly need his speed and playmaking ability as they advance through a daunting schedule.

Who knows, maybe Perriman will also turn into Mr. October just like Bryant and Beckham Jr. a year ago.

If he does, the early angst over his injury and lack of playing time will quickly become a distant memory.