With the tremendous amount of Ohio State players that entered the 2016 NFL Draft, it seemed inevitable that former teammates would reunite in the pros.
That's exactly what happened when the San Diego Chargers selected Joshua Perry in the fourth round. The inside linebacker joins his former teammate and first round pick Joey Bosa in America's Finest City.
As fate would have it, Bosa actually announced the selection, which was a pleasant surprise for Perry.
"It was really cool that (Bosa) got to make the announcement there on TV," Perry said. "It was pretty exciting. The thing that's going to be cool is just making the transition with somebody I already know. I have a great relationship with him, especially being on the same side of the ball. I think that's going to help ease the transition a little bit."
As a rookie, packing up and moving to a new city is a daunting feat, but being able to do it with a former teammate is invaluable. Perry said being able to transition to life as a Charger with a "familiar face" like Bosa is helpful.
Since the two know each other very well, what can Chargers fans expect from each during their rookie seasons?
"Joey's a really, really great player and a guy who's very selfless and a high motor guy," added Perry. "I think that's what made him a great player because he would do his job of what he asked to do and he would do it 100 percent. He's a guy who came every day with a great attitude; somebody we could rely on. But somebody who's also light, too. Sometimes the locker room would get a little tense and Joey was always one of those guys who would crack a joke and make people smile. So, I'm really excited about the opportunity to play with him again."
"(Perry's) one of the hardest workers I know," Bosa said. "An amazing leader. A physical freak. He's a big, huge guy at the linebacker position and helped our defense tremendously over the past three years. He'll do that here in San Diego."
The 6-4, 252-pound linebacker started 39 of 52 games during his four years for the Buckeyes. He garnered first-team All-Big Ten honors and was a co-captain his senior year. He finished his career with 298 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, 3.5 of which came his senior year.
"I'm just a productive linebacker," Perry added. "A guy who's been able to play downhill (and) make a lot of tackles over my career. The thing that I did was I played a lot in passing downs at Ohio State in versatile roles. I used to rush a little bit (and) they would ask me to cover, so just being able to do those kinds of things (as well as) the kind of things they don't teach like leadership and the passion aspect of it."
As a 2015 Lott IMPACT Trophy Finalist, given to a defensive player whose character is equally as excellent as his athleticism, Perry's leadership is something that stands out in addition to his play. It's also something Bosa said Chargers fans should be excited about.
"(Perry's an) incredible leader," Bosa said. "He did everything right. He's literally the perfect guy you want on your team and in your locker room."
