Peria Edward Jerry (; born August 23, 1984) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...
. He was selected by the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
in the first round of the
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment.
...
. Jerry retired from football in 2014 after five seasons with the Falcons. He is the older brother of former offensive guard
John Jerry.
High school career
While playing for
South Panola High School
The South Panola School District is a public school district based in Batesville, Mississippi, US.
In addition to Batesville, the district also serves the village of Pope, the town of Courtland, and the Panola County portion of Crowder as w ...
in Batesville, Mississippi, Jerry was selected first team All-State and Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Coaches. He was also named first team All-State by ''
The Clarion-Ledger
''The Clarion Ledger'' is an American daily newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the second-oldest company in the state of Mississippi, and is one of the few newspapers in the nation that continues to circulate statewide. It is an operating d ...
''.
Jerry signed with Ole Miss in the 2004 recruiting class, but decided to attend
Hargrave Military Academy
Hargrave Military Academy (HMA) is a private, all-male, military boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia. Hargrave is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a col ...
. There, he was rated as the No. 15 prep school player in the country by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
''. He played in eight games at Hargrave during the 2004 season and was credited with 30 tackles, including five
quarterback sack
In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in th ...
s.
College career
The 2005 season was Jerry's true freshman season at Ole Miss. After missing the first four games due to injury, he played in six of the final seven games. He finished the season with three total tackles.
In 2006, Jerry battled through injuries to play in eight games, making six starts along the defensive line. He made starts at end, tackle and nose tackle. He totaled 22 tackles on the season with 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB sack. In the Spring, he received the Jeff Hamm Memorial Award for the most improved defensive player of spring drills. He moved from tackle to end and promptly emerged as the starter. Jerry was rated an "Emerging Star" at Ole Miss by Lindy’s magazine.
In 2007, Jerry was named to the Second Team All-SEC by the Associated Press and Rivals.com. He started all 12 games at defensive tackle and was ranked sixth in the SEC in tackles for losses (TFLs) with 14. He finished second on the team in TFLs, 3 and a half QB sacks, 4 QB hurries and 58 total tackles.
In 2008, Jerry was named to the All-SEC First Team by the leagues coaches and to the All-SEC First Team by the nation's news media. Additionally, he was named to the Associated Press All-America First Team.
Professional career
Drawing comparisons to
Vonnie Holliday
Dimetry Giovonni "Vonnie" Holliday (born December 11, 1975) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 19th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college footbal ...
and
Cory Redding
Cory Bartholomew Redding (born November 15, 1980) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft and played college football at Texas. Redding also played for the ...
,
Jerry was commonly ranked as the second-best defensive tackle available in the
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...
, behind only
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
′s
B. J. Raji
Busari Alamu Raji Jr. (born July 11, 1986) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at Boston College. Raji was drafted by the Green Bay Packers with the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He won Super Bo ...
.
He was drafted in the first round with the 24th overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons.
Jerry was signed to a five-year contract by the Falcons on July 30, 2009. He competed with
Trey Lewis to replace
Grady Jackson, who was not re-signed by the Falcons, at defensive tackle.
Peria Jerry suffered a major knee injury on September 20, 2009, which caused him to miss the remainder of the 2009 season.
In 2010, he came back from injury, and played in all 16 games. However, he lost his starting job to rookie DT
Corey Peters.
On July 31, 2014, Jerry announced his retirement from the NFL.
NFL statistics
Personal
Peria Jerry is the older brother of former NFL player
John Jerry.
[.]
References
External links
Ole Miss Rebels bioAtlanta Falcons bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jerry, Peria
1984 births
Living people
American football defensive tackles
Atlanta Falcons players
Ole Miss Rebels football players
People from Batesville, Mississippi
Players of American football from Mississippi