Making the transition from the Football Championship Subdivision level to the National Football League can be a long, difficult process for some players.
Count former University of Maine standout Justin Perillo among those who continue to work toward becoming a regular contributor on Sundays.
Perillo is nearly three years removed from his senior season with the Black Bears, with whom he garnered FBC All-America and All-Colonial Athletic Association honors in 2013.
This summer, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound tight end from Wilmington, Delaware, has had more of a presence with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers.
According to a story by Michael Cohen in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Perillo continues to boost his stock with the organization that signed him as a free agent in 2014.
Perillo, who began last season on Green Bay’s practice squad, was promoted and played in nine games. He made 11 catches for 102 yards and his first career touchdown, an 11-yard hookup with quarterback Aaron Rodgers in an 18-16 loss to Detroit on Nov. 15.
This month, with No. 2 tight end Jared Cook recovering from foot surgery, Perillo has been getting more first-team reps behind Richard Rodgers.
How does Perillo get on the field more consistently?
“Just do the same thing I did last year: Come in every day and work hard,” Perillo told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday. “When the opportunities present themselves, just make them. Be a good teammate and try to make as many plays as possible.”
Prior to last season, Perillo added 10 pounds to his already solid frame and worked on his blocking.
“The extra weight really helped me out and I’ve worked at some technique things like hand placement and footwork,” Perillo told Packer Plus magazine last December.
Despite lacking great speed, Perillo’s sure hands and route running have been notable. He credited his experience playing in the UMaine offense as having taught him how to run routes effectively.
“I’m not the biggest guy and I’m not the fastest guy. I definitely had to use that to my advantage and read defenses and sit in holes or get out of my breaks faster,” said Perillo, who is scheduled to make $600,000 this season.
Packers offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett praised Perillo’s ability to get open.
“Love his ability to create separation,” Bennett told the MJS. “That stands out and ultimately when he has an opportunity, he makes the play.”
Bennett lauded Perillo’s attention to detail as a key factor in establishing separation with a defender.
“That’s what tight ends do. They have to go across the middle in traffic,” Perillo said.
The Packers are in Canton, Ohio, for Sunday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against Indianapolis, which features one of his former UMaine teammates, Westbrook native Trevor Bates.
Other former Black Bears on NFL rosters this summer include veteran tight end Matthew Mulligan of Enfield with the Detroit Lions, and offensive lineman Bruce Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Former UMaine cornerback Kendall James was waived by New York Jets Wednesday. He had been on the Jets’ active/physically unable to perform list and hadn’t participated in a training camp practice.