Draft Analysis: A.T. Perry

March 26, 2023 /
  • Height: 6’3″
  • Weight: 198 lbs
  • College: Wake Forest
  • Tape watched: Missouri, Syracuse, N.C. State, Florida State, Vanderbilt
  • College Comparison: Tim Patrick

Pros

  • Release
    A.T. Perry is excellent off the line of scrimmage. He has great footwork and upper body strength that allows him to avoid critical contact from press defenders. He manipulates his upper body to hide his chest and force cornerbacks to punch the back of his shoulders, allowing him to climb his stem unphased. For a receiver of his size, this is a very good trait.
Perry is a master of leverage
  • Route Running
    Perry is very detailed as a route runner. He understands his role in an offense in terms of depth and spacing. He can successfully separate against man and zone coverages. He moves in and out of his route breaks really well for his height and body type. He can drop his hips and minimize steps through breaks. Perry is also exceptional at changing tempo in his route stems.
The tempo of this route is great. Perry knows he can’t burn by the defender and compromis his comeback route. He uses tempo to let the defender get even.

Midline

  • YAC
    A.T. Perry has enough post-catch to make a few plays a game with the ball. He is not a consistent tackle breaker and won’t make defenders miss in space at a high rate. He does have a nice stiff arm and can occasionally get loose.
  • Aggressiveness
    The tape left you wanting a little more from Perry on jump ball situations. He wasn’t used or was not always effective in one-on-one in-air plays. Perry makes most of his magic happen with his route running. A little more of a mean streak would go a long way.

Cons

  • Blocking
    Hand in hand with aggressiveness, Perry has little interest in getting dirty in the run game. He will get where he is supposed to go, but gives very little effort blocking.
  • Hands
    A.T. Perry has struggled with drops through college, a total of 17 per PFF. The tape I watched did not reveal issues with catching the football however. I thought Perry tracked the football well, adjusted to poor throws, and used his arm length and hands to go get the ball rather than let it into his chest.

Overview

I believe A.T. Perry is one of the more complete receivers in this class. He has a rare blend of size, speed, and technique that should make him a Day 2 selection. I do not believe his hands are an issue.

Perry brings an NFL offense an immediate top-tier college production history with true X or Z potential.