Time To Add A.T. Perry To The First Round NFL Draft Board

It was apparent after watching the first twenty seconds of his game film, Wake Forest receiver A.T. Perry has star power.

His size, speed and athleticism.

Are you kidding me?

The names Al Toon, CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson went through my mind watching him play.

Perry has a feel to him that he can take over a game.

Kudos to Bleacher Report

Perry first came to my attention thanks to a recent Bleacher Report 2023 NFL Draft Big Board put out on November 29.

Listed No. 25 overall was this Wake Forest talent.

Turns out, NBC Sports Chicago has also been putting a first-round stamp on Perry since September.

Nice work.

One look at Perry – – it’s easy to see.

Yet, he still continues to fly under the radar most everywhere else, but no longer on First Round Mock.

Pro Bowl routes

Can you tell I am excited about Perry?

The thing I love most about him is the routes he runs and how he runs them.

Perry releases like a Pro Bowl receiver into his routes with his quick feet, which causes him to quickly establish leverage.

Perry also uses his hands well to fight for route leverage.

Between his quick feet and hands fighting, he creates throwing windows with ease and that’s a big part of this.

He also has the athletic ability to snap off routes in ways that leave corners behind.

This guy just has a knack for dominating corners.

Determination

This is another thing that adds value to Perry’s game – – his determination after the catch.

He is determined to pick up additional yardage after the catch (YAC).

Perry doesn’t go down easily, and this is one of the ways he shows football is important to him.

Concerns?

The only two concerns I have off game film are his catch radius and on heavily contested passes.

His ball tracking skills are there.

There were a few passes that weren’t on target he couldn’t haul in (or went off his hands). There were also a couple when the corner was fighting hard for the ball he couldn’t secure the catch.

Is this a huge problem?

I will circle back pre-draft and see if it shows up on his 2022 game film and go from there. At best, he’s inconsistent in both areas.

Everything else I love.

Regardless, he will more than likely remain on my first-round board, it’s just a matter of where he stacks up with Josh Downs (North Carolina), Jordan Addison (USC), Marvin Mims (Oklahoma), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State).

He can get deep

This is the bench mark when analyzing if a receiver can step onto an NFL field and be a team’s No. 1 receiver.

Perry has deep game.

If you don’t believe me, ask FSU, he torched the Seminoles a couple times deep, once high pointing the ball and another time running right through the catch into the end zone.

Two years of high production

This is something else that jumped out at me about Perry. He has two solid consecutive years producing at a high level.

He’s not one of these one-year wonders who pops up out of the blue.

Perry has put up back-to-back 70+ catch seasons, and that’s saying something.

#9 A.T. Perry 6-foot-5, 205 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Grade: First-Round – Winter 2022 Report

Projected by 4.4% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of December 8, 2022 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2021 game film reviewed: Clemson, FSU and Pitt (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2021 stats: 71 receptions (135 targets and 53% catch rate), 1,293 yards (18.2 avg.), 15 TD, 69-long

2022 stats: 70 receptions (112 targets and 63% catch rate), 980 yards (14.0 avg.), 11 TD, 68-long

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report:

Dynamic smooth route runner with good speed, long arms, great athletic ability and a star aura. Thin lower legs. Lines up wide and in the slot. The best part of his game is his release from the line of scrimmage. Quickly establishes route leverage with quick choppy feet and physicality using hands. Excellent job of setting up and consistently controlling corners. Can snap off routes and has a knack for creating separation. Productive and a threat at all three route levels (short, intermediate and deep). Tends to catch with hands. Signature route is the comeback. Not really into run blocking, but willing to do it. Game breaking prospect.

Bottom line:

Perry is a difference maker.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.