Samaje Perine Declares for 2017 NFL Draft: Latest Comments and Reaction

Oklahoma star running back Samaje Perine announced via Instagram Tuesday he will enter the 2017 NFL draft:

Perine, a junior, is Oklahoma's all-time leading rusher with 4,122 career yards on the ground after surpassing Billy Sims on Monday night in Oklahoma's 35-19 win over Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. 

"To be the all-time leading rusher at a place like Oklahoma, when you look at the lineage through the decades, is really something special," Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops told David Ching of ESPN.com. "The entire team took a lot of pride in that."

Sims also took to Twitter to congratulate Perine:

Perine started his Oklahoma career with a bang, rushing for 1,713 yards and 21 touchdowns as a freshman. Over the past two years, he's ceded some carries to Joe Mixon, rushing for 1,349 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2015 and 1,060 yards and 12 touchdowns this season despite missing two games to injury.

As for Perine's draft stock, he's likely a middle-round selection. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller isn't high on Perine at the next level:

But Perine is a physical, bruising runner who at the very least could carve a niche for himself in the NFL as a short-yardage and goal-line back. And spending another year at Oklahoma would have exposed him to injury risk and more wear and tear without much of a chance of improving his draft stock. After three years, NFL teams know what they'll be getting in Perine, so the decision to turn pro was a logical one.

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