Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Five New Orleans Saints rookies are sidelined at the start of training camp on injury reserve lists, including several draft picks:
This isn’t too surprising, but that doesn’t make it good news: five New Orleans Saints rookies have been sidelined at the start of training camp on various injury reserve lists, including several draft picks. The good news is that it just means none of these players passed their initial physical exam upon arriving at the team facility. Once they’re able to do that and prove they’re healthy, they’ll join their teammates on the practice field.
Here is what you need to know:
The Athletic listed New Orleans Saints sixth-round draft pick A.T. Perry among late-round rookies who can make immediate impacts:
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Here’s another NFL analyst joining the A.T. Perry fan club. The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner likes the New Orleans Saints’ sixth-round pick as a rookie who could immediately impact his new team, highlighting the former Wake Forest standout along with other rookies who can outplay their slot as Day 3 picks in the 2023 draft:
Remember what we said earlier about long speed? Perry measured in at his pro day at 6-3, 202 with 33 3/14 inch arms, after running a 4.47 at the combine. He also broad jumped more than 11 feet. Perry, whose 28 career touchdown catches tied with Calvin Johnson’s for seventh most in ACC history, could use a bit more speed, but he’s fast enough and big enough to make an impact.
In each of his final two college seasons, Perry posted at least 70 catches and broke 1,000 yards. He was a lot more than a big guy who caught jump balls (although he did some of that, too). A very agile receiver (6.81-second three-cone), Perry can be good against man or zone. And though he’s not going to blow the top off any defense, he has starting X-receiver potential.
Even if Michael Thomas is back for the Saints, Perry can help early, all while also learning from a stellar veteran receiver.
Perry may not see many snaps early on if Thomas is healthy and managing a full workload himself. He’s been compared to Marques Colston by many fans (and by Colston himself in terms of their physical play style), but they filled very different roles on offense. Perry lined up as the X-receiver at split end almost exclusively at Wake Forest, which is where Thomas normally plays for New Orleans, with fewer than 10% of his career routes starting from the slot (which is where Colston made a living).
So if the Saints envision Perry as a big slot receiver like Coslton, they’ll need to coach him up and work with him as he picks up that part of the playbook. Odds are he’ll be competing to back up Thomas along with guys like Bryan Edwards, Shaquan Davis, Tre’Quan Smith, and Keith Kirkwood as a rookie. He certainly has the talent to win that competition and get on the field early on, but it’s not as clear a path to playing-time as you’d first expect.
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What pre-draft scouting reports said about New Orleans Saints sixth-round pick A.T. Perry, the big-bodied wide receiver from Wake Forest:
A lot of NFL experts thought the New Orleans Saints landed a steal in A.T. Perry, swooping in to pick the big-bodied Wake Forest receiver in the sixth round of the 2023 draft — take a look around and you’ll see many rankings had him graded as a third- or fourth-round pick. Ask Perry and he’ll tell you he isn’t sure why he fell below expectations on draft day, but he’s landed in a great spot to succeed. Just ask Marques Colston, who has more in common with Perry than you’d expect.
But why was Perry so highly regarded before the draft? What can he add to the receiving corps that they’ve been missing? Here’s a quick look at some scouting reports from prominent draft experts who studied Perry’s game tape:
Marques Colston shared a great nugget during his appearance on the NOF podcast. He and A.T. Perry shared the same college offensive coordinator:
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Here’s a great nugget from Marques Colston’s appearance on the NewOrleans.Football podcast — when discussing the state of his old New Orleans Saints team and rookie draft pick A.T. Perry (who has drawn a lot of comparisons to Colston in recent weeks), Colston noted that he and Perry have more in common than you’d first expect. As a former seventh-round pick from Hofstra, Colston empathizes with Perry as a sixth rounder and fellow late-round pick who uses rare size and strength to win their matchups.
“The funny connection is his offensive coordinator there, Warren Ruggiero, was my offensive coordinator at Hofstra my last few years there,” Colston said. “So when I would watch A.T. play, it looked very, very familiar. Similar offense, similar skill set, body build.”
Ruggiero is an interesting figure in the college football landscape — 57 years old, he’s the offensive coordinator and play caller at Wake Forest with decades of experience at the college level. In addition to Hofstra, he’s also coached at William & Mary, Elon, Kansas State, and Bowling Green while sending players to the pros like Josh Freeman, John Wolford, Jamie Newman, and soon, Sam Hartman. Not to mention Colston, the Saints’ all-time leader in receptions (711), receiving yards (9,759), and touchdown catches (72).
But it’s not like Colston immediately found success in New Orleans. After his own rough start, he didn’t expect he’d last until training camp: “At rookie minicamp I thought for sure I’d get cut. We had a three-day minicamp and I practiced for maybe half of the first day and was injured the rest of the time. So I came out of rookie minicamp thinking I was going to get cut. Came out of OTA’s not feeling really good about any chance I had on making the roster.
“So coming into training camp, my sole purpose was to survive. So from the day we got to Millsaps (College in Jackson, Miss.) I was in survival mode. It was a blessing in disguise for me because I didn’t allow myself to see anything going around me. As the depth chart started moving around, I was oblivious to it. I was in survival mode for six weeks straight.”
That’s a lesson he’d like to impart to Perry. The rookie had a couple of dropped passes in the team’s latest minicamp practices, but that’s something Colston said shouldn’t weigh too heavily on him. The rookie will have ample opportunities to stand out over the summer. He says Perry should keep his chin up and move with confidence and self-assurance.
Colston continued, “So what I would tell him is ‘Just be you.’ I know we take a lot of stock in these draft picks and draft positions, at the end of the day there’s 1,800 people who get to do this. And if you’re in the top 1,800 in the world, in any industry, you’re doing alright.”
This was a really great and insightful interview, so be sure to give it a listen. Colston shared his thoughts on Pete Carmichael Jr., Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, and the state of the team moving forward, as well as the various ventures he’s pursued since hanging up his cleats. The “Quiet Storm” is still rolling.
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Three Saints rookies made ESPN’s list of the top 100 draft picks. What can you expect from each player in 2023? via @southexclusives:
The New Orleans Saints had a solid 2023 NFL draft, depending on who you ask. ESPN analyst Matt Miller would agree with this sentiment. Miller recently made a list of the 100 best selections in this year’s draft andthree Saints rookie made an appearance on this list. Most interestingly, the only one of the three that was a top selection was running back Kendre Miller. Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and defensive end Isaiah Foskey were absent from the list. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The back half of the draft being highlighted should create optimism around the depth of this class. If Bresee and Foskey can play up to, or close to, their draft position, the 2023 Saints draft class will be looked at fondly for years to come.
Miller highlighted each of the three Saints players on his list:
The Saints have already signed half their picks in the 2023 NFL draft. Four first-year players put pens to paper on Friday:
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#Saints sign four draft picks: Kendre Miller, Nick Saldiveri, Jordan Howden, and A.T. Perry!
Story: https://t.co/UhJNL6QA78 pic.twitter.com/Wo8FXEZuoA
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 12, 2023
How’s this for a nice and simple New Orleans Saints offseason? The team announced Friday that four of the players they picked in the 2023 NFL draft have already signed their rookie contracts: running back Kendre Miller (third round out of TCU), offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri (fourth round from Old Dominion), defensive back Jordan Howden (fifth round of Minnesota), and wide receiver A.T. Perry (sixth round, Wake Forest).
That leaves just three other first-year pros yet to put pen to paper, but they’ll follow along soon enough. Many of the details in these rookie contracts are tied to draft slots these days, so there isn’t much haggling and negotiating to be done. All of these players are in town for Saints rookie minicamp practices over the weekend, so it’s a safe bet that Bryan Bresee, Isaiah Foskey, and Jake Haener will sign soon, too.
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A.T. Perry could prove a huge get for the New Orleans Saints in the years to come. Touchdown Wire named him a draft steal in the sixth round, via @crissy_froyd:
The New Orleans Saints had an overall successful 2023 NFL Draft, picking up a high value wide receiver in A.T. Perry out of Wake Forest at No. 195 in the sixth round of the event.
In fact, he’s pinned as the biggest steal of the draft for the Saints by Doug Farrar over at Touchdown Wire.
He noted how the fact his role in Wake Forest’s unique offense, dubbed “The Clawfense” by some, may have had a little something to do with that. Farrar wrote:
Wake Forest’s offense can be difficult to project to the NFL level, which I guess is why Perry was available for the Saints with the 195th overall pick in the sixth round… but then again, Perry caught 81 passes on 129 targets for 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns last season (his second straight 1,000-yard season), and he was pretty much the Demon Deacons’ entire passing game, so I’m not sure how much “projecting” we need to do here.
I would not have been at all surprised to hear his name in the back half of the second day, based on Perry’s size (6-foot-3, 198 pounds) and explosives play ability alone. Perry had 10 catches of 20 or more air yards for 373 yards and five touchdowns last season. Moreover, he can do things after the catch with an athletic ability to separate and get things done in space.
It will be interesting to watch how things play out as Perry prepares to compete for snaps among the likes of Tre’Quan Smith, Bryan Edwards and Shaquan Davis as he projects as a potential diamond in the rough backup to Michael Thomas.
Looking forward at the longer-term projection for Perry, he’s a player that should be expected to primarily be utilized as an X-receiver/split end. According to Pro Football Focus, Perry lined up in the slot on just 9.4% of his routes for the Demon Deacons.
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Every NFL draft has its selection of steals — those players who could surprise despite their low selections — and here’s one for every NFL team.
One of the many reasons the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII was the job that general manager Brett Veach did outside of the first round of the 2022 draft. Three defensive backs (Bryan Cook in the second round, Joshua Williams in the fourth, and Jaylen Watson in the seventh) were difference-makers all season, and seventh-round running back Isiah Pacheco became the team’s bellcow back down the stretch. Also, second-round receiver Skyy Moore joined Pacheco with touchdowns in that Super Bowl victory over the Eagles.
First-round hits are nice, but it’s almost worse to miss in the first round than it is better to win there from an opportunity cost perspective. If you want to refresh your roster at a championship level, you had better get those picks right on the second and third day. Veach and his staff did that, and it was the difference that made all the difference in the end.
Moving to the 2023 NFL draft, we’ve selected one second- or third-day pick for every NFL team who could have a similar impact on their NFL roaters sooner than mater. Each of these players have reasons for their relatively low picks in line with their tape, stats, and talent, but these are the kinds of finds that can turn a team around over time.
Here are the jersey numbers for the New Orleans Saints rookie draft class:
It’s finally real. The seven players selected by the New Orleans Saints in the 2023 NFL draft have chosen their initial jersey numbers — which could change once other numbers become available after roster cuts later this year, so maybe wait to preorder your jersey. But here’s which numbers they’ll be wearing at rookie minicamps and practices over the summer:
A.T. Perry says he was told ‘character stuff’ led to his draft-day fall to Round 6, but he’s determined to ‘make a big impact on the field’ after landing with the Saints:
@Saints you won’t regret this
— 9 (@atorian_perry) April 29, 2023
One surprise pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2023 NFL draft was Wake Forest wide receiver A.T. Perry — not because he’s a bad fit, but because of where he was drafted. Perry was a consensus top-100 pick in this year’s draft class but he fell to the sixth round, where the Saints traded up to pick him.
There aren’t many receivers with his production available that late in the draft. After catching 71 passes for 1,293 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2021, Perry followed up with 81 receptions for 1,096 yards and 11 scores in 2022. Take that with his size (6-foot-3 and 202 pounds) and speed (timing the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds, with a 6.81-second three-cone drill) and you’ve got what looks like a strong prospect.
“I was expecting to go higher, but some minor stuff got in the way of that. But hey I’m here now, I’m happy that you guys took me. I hope I’m going to make a big impact on the field,” Perry said during his introductory conference call with New Orleans media.
When asked if he could clarify that feedback from teams, Perry replied, “They said it was some character stuff, which kind of confused me. But there’s nothing I can do about that, the past is in the past. Let’s get going.”
Perry said he met receivers coach Kodi Burns at Wake Forest’s pro day and that he interviewed with the team during the NFL scouting combine, but that was the extent of his contact with the Saints before the draft. He wasn’t one of their official 30 visits to the facility in Metairie, and he’s only visited New Orleans once, when he was younger on a family trip with his parents. He’s eager to introduce himself to his new teammates and city.
“I’m kind of a quiet guy,” Perry chuckled when asked to describe himself and his character. “But when I get into a game I’m smiling and laughing, just out there having fun. Going out there getting a dub with the team. I love being around my guys, I’m a team-first kind of guy. Just going out there making plays and celebrating with each other.”
The Saints are suddenly deep at receiver after adding Perry and undrafted free agents Shaquan Davis (South Carolina State), Sy Barnett (Davenport), and Malik Flowers (Montana) to a corps that already included Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, Rashid Shaheed, Tre’Quan Smith, Keith Kirkwood, Kirk Merritt, Kawaan Baker, and Bryan Edwards. They usually only roster five or six receivers, so he’s got his work cut out for him in competing for one of those spots. But Perry has the talent to get it done. We’ll see how it plays out over the summer.
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