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D3 Football's Thomas Perry Is The Hidden Gem Of The 2025 NFL Draft

D3 Football's Thomas Perry Is The Hidden Gem Of The 2025 NFL Draft

Get to know Middlebury College football's Thomas Perry, a D3 Offensive Lineman who could be the next hidden gem of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Apr 23, 2025 by Briar Napier
D3 Football's Thomas Perry Is The Hidden Gem Of The 2025 NFL Draft

When did it first hit Thomas Perry that he had serious potential as an NFL offensive line prospect?

Perhaps it was when he was on the field at the Dallas Cowboys’ home of AT&T Stadium during the East-West Shrine Bowl in January, lining up across multiple Power 4 programs’ helmets before the snap — and winning battles in the trenches against those same players.

It was a bit of a scenery change, to say the least. Especially after playing NCAA Division III football for Middlebury College in Vermont, often in front of home crowds of less than 2,000 people.

And in an NFL Draft cycle littered with star power, Perry is the underdog story — a distinction that he by no means identifies with — that could propel him into being a hidden gem on draft weekend and a reliable NFL lineman for years to come.

“My first live reps, (I’m) seeing like, ‘Oh, this kid’s helmet says Alabama,’” Perry said of a practice prior to the East-West Shrine Bowl. “I thought it was awesome. It was just a great opportunity.

“I love just getting to keep training and to keep playing football. … I just focus on the task at hand. Where I am on a list, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m waking up and trying to just get better at football.”

Those lists Perry is referring to including the many draft boards he’s finding himself rising in after an impressive showing at the East-West Shrine Bowl, in which the 6-foot-3, 317-pound Perry (who played center there for the first time ever after starring at guard all throughout college) was the only player from the D-III ranks invited. 


Making it to the NFL is hard enough, but the odds are even longer for even the best D-III players. Only two D-III alumni made initial 53-man rosters at the start of last season, and though there are notable exceptions like former Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson (Coe College) and Denver Broncos All-Pro guard Quinn Meinerz (Wisconsin-Whitewater), most D-III prospects are chewed up and spit out by preseason roster cuts.

But with a serious chance at being the first D-III draft pick in four years later this month, Perry has no plans to let a major opportunity slip. 

Perry ragdolled his competition at Middlebury, with the Connecticut native being named a three-time first team All-New England Small College Athletic Conference selection and an AFCA First Team All-American his senior season. That got him in the door at the East-West Shrine Bowl, but it was his performances there — which saw him go viral on social media for routinely stopping D-I talent in their tracks — that got him plenty of interviews with and rave reviews from pro scouts.

“I think it gave me a chance to compete with people who didn’t go to Division III schools and show that I had a reason to be there,” Perry said. “It was a crash course, and it was awesome. I really enjoyed it, and it was a really cool experience.

“I wake up every day and picture myself playing football. That’s what I trained for, that’s definitely what I’ve been working for.”

Perry participated in UConn’s Pro Day on March 25, where he put up numbers that would’ve been solid at the NFL Scouting Combine; a 29.5-inch vertical jump, 4.53 shuttle drill and 31 reps on the bench press were among his most notable marks, along with a a 9-3 broad jump that would’ve put him tied for sixth among all offensive linemen at the combine. 


An academic standout who double-majored in molecular biology and biochemistry at Middlebury, Perry said that once his playing days are done, he’ll enter medical school to become a doctor. 

He has no plans for that to happen anytime soon, however, as pro football comes calling.

“This is not just (giving it) a crack,” Perry said. “It’s more than just saying, ‘I’m going to give it a shot.’ This is what I’ve been working for 10 years to do, and it’s bigger than just that. … I’m doing everything I can to make this happen.

“Improvise, adapt, overcome. … Every second we get, we’ve got to do it, give it our best and get better from what we learned.”

Taking the time to thank the many figures in his life for getting him to the point he is now, from middle school to Middlebury and everywhere in between, Perry is especially motivated by those behind him to break the mold and become Middlebury’s fourth NFL player in history and second since the 1920s (longtime NFL kicker Stephen Hauschka, who played three years at Middlebury, is the only modern ex-Panther).

If all goes well, Perry has likely earned at least an undrafted free agent deal with an NFL team. From then on, it’s up to him to put tiny Middlebury (and D-III football as a whole) on the map.

“I’m so thankful for my parents and the opportunities they’ve given me and how they’ve supported me every day, every minute,” Perry said. “All my coaches (too) … I’ve had so many people in my life who’ve believed in me and supported me and helped try to get me better.”


When Is The NFL Draft?

The 2025 NFL Draft is scheduled to take place from April 24-26 at Lambeau Field and its adjacent Titletown District in Green Bay, Wisconsin, home to the Green Bay Packers. 

It is the first time that Green Bay has ever hosted the NFL Draft, which has been held every year since 1936. The Tennessee Titans, who finished with the league’s joint-worst record in the 2024 season at 3-14 overall, have the first overall pick.

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