One of the primary criticisms of Ravens rookie wide receiver Breshad Perriman heading into the NFL draft was his tendency to lose concentration and drop passes.
The speedy first-round pick arguably had his roughest practice Tuesday since joining the Ravens, as he dropped four passes, including one deep sideline pass after he had sprinted past cornerback Jimmy Smith and was wide open.
"Just really paying attention, getting too tired and really not focusing," Perriman said when asked for an explanation about the drops. "I don't really make excuses for it. They should have been caught, but that's something that won't happen too often."
Perriman didn't appear fazed by the drops and later caught several passes in full-team drills. At 6 feet 2 and 212 pounds with 4.22-second speed in the 40-yard dash, Perriman is expected to provide an immediate deep threat.
"I feel like I'm doing good," Perriman said. "I feel like I've got a lot of work to do, though. At the same time, I'm not nearly satisfied with how I'm playing.
"I'm doing a good job, but I'm striving for more. I expect more from myself. I feel like I'm doing a decent job, but, at the same time just want to keep working so I can improve my craft."
Signed to a four-year, $8.705 million contract that includes a $4.59 million signing bonus and $7.08 million in total guaranteed money, Perriman has high expectations for himself.
When he drops passes, Perriman said he's able to refocus and not dwell on the mistakes.
"I really just talk to myself," Perriman said. "It's really all mental. I talk to myself, tell myself the things that I need to do to complete those passes and just try to step it up a notch more."
Perriman caught 115 passes for 2,243 yards and 16 touchdowns at Central Florida. That included 50 receptions for 1,044 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior before declaring early for the draft. In his final college season, Perriman dropped eight passes.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh praised Perriman for his performance since joining the team with the 26th overall selection.
"Breshad is doing a really good job and working to put it all together, and that's the challenge for every rookie, but he has all the talent in the world," Harbaugh said. "He's very determined, he's very talented, and he's going to do really well."