With the 18th pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and 195th overall choice, the New Orleans Saints selected Wake Forest wide receiver Atorian Perry. More commonly known as A.T. Perry, the productive wideout caught 152 passes for 2,389 yards and 26 touchdowns over his final two seasons with the Demon Deacons.
Despite his incredible production, ideal size, and underrated athleticism, it is unclear why a Day 2 talent like Perry slipped into late Day 3 of the draft. Writers at the Saints News Network projected that Perry would be a second or third round pick and therefore believed that New Orleans was getting a possible draft steal.
The Saints have a history of unheralded receivers having great success with the team. Lance Moore, Marques Colston, and Rashid Shaheed were late-round or undrafted pickups that were outstanding contributors. Willie Snead, Juwan Johnson, Deonte Harris, and Marquez Callaway were other undrafted finds that made some key contributions.
In Perry, the Saints could have unearthed another gem. After a promising rookie campaign, even more is expected from Perry in 2024. If he delivers, he could vault his way into the conversation with Moore, Colston, and Shaheed among the all-time draft steals for the Saints.
A.T. Perry’s Rookie Year
Perry easily made the active roster after a productive preseason. However, he was inactive during the team’s first seven games of the year and saw a combined 24 offensive snaps without a reception in Weeks 8 and 9. It took another season-ending injury to WR Michael Thomas in a Week 10 loss at Minnesota for the Saints to finally discover what they had in Perry.
The 24-year-old Perry had an instant impact upon replacing Thomas, making two impressive catches for 38 yards and a score against the Vikings. Over the next few weeks, he’d become a somewhat productive third receiver behind Shaheed and Chris Olave, making several acrobatic or contested receptions along the way.
Perry finished his rookie year with 12 catches for 244 yards and four touchdowns. He’d pull in nearly 67% of his targets and averaged 13.7 yards per reception. His best outing was during a season-finale rout of Atlanta, when he’d have three catches for 53 yards and two key scores.
Perry’s overall numbers aren’t impressive at a surface glance. However, consider that all of his production was achieved over the last eight games of the year. Even more will be expected of him as he heads into his second season as a pro.
Saints Show Confidence In Perry
After a messy split but expected split with Michael Thomas, the Saints showed a great deal of faith in Perry. They brought in wideouts Cedrick Wilson, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Stanley Morgan Jr. via free agency, but none of those three should be considered high-priority signings. Additionally, New Orleans also used a draft choice on Pitt WR Bub Means, but that wasn’t until the fifth round.
A.T. Perry won’t be handed the number three wideout spot behind Olave and Shaheed. He’s facing early competition in training camp from Wilson and St. Brown (both currently banged up), along with hard-charging undrafted rookie wideout Mason Tipton.
The fact that New Orleans did not prioritize this position during the offseason, however, shows that the team and new offensive coaches have a level of confidence in Perry’s development.
At 6’5″ and 205-Lbs., Perry has prototype size for the position. More importantly, he possesses elite leaping ability, sure hands, along with the long stride and adequate speed to get separation against defenses.
While not as physical as Thomas was, Perry uses his body well to shield defenders from contested throws and shows good concentration in traffic. He’ll likely be utilized much more over the middle and through the intermediate zones this season.
Perry got off to a bit of a slow start in the early portion of training camp. He’s come on much stronger of late, making big plays for a receiving corps currently dealing with several injuries.
A.T. Perry may not be a hot name in fantasy football circles as a third receiver. If he expands on the promise he flashed as a rookie, as expected, then he’ll be a critical part of the New Orleans offensive attack.
