The Saints got one of the biggest steals in the entire 2023 NFL Draft
Fans of the New Orleans Saints were clamoring for a wide receiver on day two or three of this year's NFL Draft. The Saints front office made them wait a bit, but it was absolutely worth it. The Saints selected Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry with the 195th overall selection. He was a sixth-round selection, […]
Fans of the New Orleans Saints were clamoring for a wide receiver on day two or three of this year's NFL Draft. The Saints front office made them wait a bit, but it was absolutely worth it.
The Saints selected Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry with the 195th overall selection. He was a sixth-round selection, but his talent is clearly worthy of a pick that was much earlier than that. Perry was arguably a top ten wide receiver prospect in this draft class.
For whatever reason, he fell much further than media members and scouts thought he would when the draft began. Many mock drafts had Perry getting picked in the third round, possibly the fourth at the absolute latest. So, of course, this selection brings great value for the Saints.
Perry was ultra-productive during his time as a Demon Deacon. He was one of the best receivers in the ACC over the past two seasons, totaling over 1,000 receiving yards in both years. The Wake Forest WR totaled 26 touchdowns in those two years, too. At nearly 6'4", he has elite size, even for the NFL level.
Drops were an issue at times during his college days, but he will have time to work on that with New Orleans. Perry has the opportunity to be WR3 or WR4 on the Saints depth chart if he impresses during training camp and the preseason. In the future, his role could grow into something even greater if he reaches his ceiling.
Perry's elusiveness is quite special at his size, and he possesses great arm length. His contested catch ability was impressive at Wake Forest, and his route running is solid – with room to improve. Perry has the physical tools to be an impactful NFL wideout, and he proved that he can put it all together over the past two seasons at Wake Forest.
Perry may turn out to be one of the best wide receivers from this draft class, and it wouldn't be shocking. The pick was a great upside selection by the Saints on day three of the draft.
