A.T. Perry Does Something Randy Moss Did

Big physical receiver that does a great job making plays on the football. [On] one-on-one opportunities, he’s been as good as good gets.

Television announcer talking about A.T. Perry against Syracuse

Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry is special.

That’s not according to me, or my opinion, but it’s according to what the game film said about this wide receiver (WR).

All I did was write it down.

I have now watched Perry in 11 games spanning two seasons (2021 and 2022), and in each and every game, Perry has had his way with cornerbacks.

Perry stands at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds and he ran a 4.47 (40-yard-dash) at the NFL Scouting Combine.

If that wasn’t enough, he posted a 35″ vertical.

He’s also strung together two 70+ catch 1,000+ yard seasons for the Deacons.

Size, speed, athleticism and consistent production?

There’s more.

Perry has a special knack

It’s not just his size, speed, athleticism or consistent production that impresses me most.

It’s something only a trained eye can appreciate, and it took me a while to see it.

Perry has the knack to wait to the last possible second before he goes to where the football is going to be.

Up until that moment, he is setting corners up and then at the last possible second…he makes his move.

This is how former Vikings’ Defensive Line Coach Andre Patterson described Hall of Fame WR Randy Moss in The Athletic:

He [Moss] had great timing to go get the ball when it was in the air. Randall would throw the ball over his head and Randy would wait until right before the ball got there to stick his hands up because DBs are taught to look for the ball when the receivers hands go up. So he would wait for the last second and then go catch it.

This “something extra” makes Perry even more challenging to cover.

Aggression

Perry has a dominant alpha-male demeanor, and he tends to get open at will.

He sets the tone in the match-ups. He’s tough match-up to begin with due to his physical attributes, but add in the aggressive attitude and it just makes him that much harder to handle.

It also gives up the upper hand on contested passes.

Concentration

Something else that stood out to me watching Perry in these three games was his incredible concentration.

He’d be double covered, or have a safety closing in, but it didn’t phase him.

Perry still looked the ball right into his hands. He came away with some catches I couldn’t believe he actually made.

Best receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft

I’ve studied all of the top rated receivers in this draft class, and Perry remains on top of First Round Mock’s First Round Value Board. He’s been my WR1 since the first time I saw him play back in early December.

He’s the best No. 1 “X” alpha-receiver I’ve seen in this draft class.

Perry is flying under the radar because the mainstream media isn’t hyping him, but I’ve seen enough to know. TCU’s WR Quentin Johnston and Tennessee’s WR Jalin Hyatt haven’t produced anywhere near as good of game film as Perry has.

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

Daniel Kelly’s Final 2023 NFL Draft Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

First Round Mock Big Board: Top-10

Bust Probability: Low

Projected by 5.8% (up from 4.1% on January 29) of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of April 14, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2022 game film reviewed: Syracuse, Duke and Missouri (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

Previous articles (with other eight games evaluated):

A.T. Perry 2023 NFL Draft WR1

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

Level of Competition: High

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

2022 stats: 81 receptions (129 targets and a 63% catch rate) 1,096 yards (13.5 avg.), 11 TD, 68-long

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Tall and physical receiver with long arms, strong hands and a knack for getting open at all three route levels (short, intermediate and deep). Quickly gets on top of corners and uses his size to achieve leverage. Quick choppy feet. Long strider. Excels at in’s, out’s and comeback routes. Drives off corners and then boxes them out. Works well in concert with the quarterback. Moves around smoothly. Fluid route runner. Willing blocker. Demonstrative. Emotional.

Final words

Perry moves the meter.

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.