Southern California defensive end Nick Perry will likely be selected as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the 2012 NFL Draft. He finished the 2011 season with 9.5 sacks and 54 total stops on his way to being a finalist for the Hendricks Award (nation's best defensive end). 

Switch to 3-4 in the works?

Strengths

• Quick feet and initial burst
• Flexibility and leverage coming off the edge
• Cognizant in disrupting passing lanes
• Disciplined tackler that understands his assignments
• Aggressive hands
• Quality read-and-react skills against the run
• Fluid athlete with lateral change-of-direction skills
• Physical stature and skill set offer positional versatility (3-4 OLB, 4-3 DE)
• Upside to be a premier pass rusher

Weaknesses

• Concerns about his conditioning
• Lacks awareness in pass coverage
• Instincts are suspect
• Lacks ideal size (6-foot-3, 250 pounds) and strength to play 4-3 end
• Short arms
• Inconsistent timing of first step 
• Limited pass-rushing repertoire
• Durability issues (history of knee and ankle injuries)

Expected draft placement

The lack of elite edge rushers in this draft class will push Perry up the board based on potential alone. He could play 4-3 defensive end in a Cover 2 base system, but a 3-4 team is more likely to select him and convert Perry to an outside linebacker.

Perry could land with the Dallas Cowboys (No. 14), New York Jets (No. 16), San Diego Chargers (No. 18), Green Bay Packers (No. 28) or New England Patriots (No. 31).