Breshad Perriman’s Partial ACL Tear Will Guarantee That He's A Bust

When the Baltimore Ravens selected Breshad Perriman in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, he was widely considered to be a boom or bust pick. Perriman had blazing speed, but there were concerns about whether he would be able to develop into a good route runner. Unfortunately, Perriman has not had a chance to do that because of injuries.

Right now, it looks like he will not be able to continue his development because of a partially torn ACL he suffered this week. This is already Perriman’s second knee injury of his NFL career, and this one may keep him out for another full season. If Perriman cannot get on the field, he will be a bust which will greatly hurt the Ravens’ offense.

The Ravens already have a relatively weak receiving corps, and without Perriman they will get even weaker. The team does have Steve Smith Sr. coming back for another season, but the 38-year-old is coming off of a torn Achilles. That will be a tough injury for the veteran to recover from, and it’s safe to wonder if he will ever be 100 percent on the field again.

Aside from him, the team has the mediocre journeyman Mike Wallace, who is merely a speed threat, and Kamar Aiken, who is a good No. 2 receiver. Beyond that, the team had a lot of middling depth options who will get a chance to compete for playing time. Joe Flacco will once again have to find a way to utilize his underwhelming receiving corps to try and get the Ravens some wins.

In terms of the future for Perriman, it is debatable whether or not he will have one. If he does miss a second full season, he is going to be way behind on his development and may not ever regain the game-breaking speed that made him worth a first-round pick.