Tag: A.T. Perry

Jaguars 7-round mock draft: 9 potential targets post-NFL combine

The Jaguars have nine draft picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Who should they be eying?

The on-field drills at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine are in the books, but determining how much they matter is a challenging exercise.

While there’s obvious value in seeing exactly how athletic prospects are (otherwise, why do the drills), it’s also a little silly to let anything other than game tape determine how players stack up.

With that in mind, it doesn’t quite feel right to make many changes to the first-round mock draft published last week.

Instead, here’s a Jacksonville Jaguars-centric mock draft with a guess at nine players the team could target with their selections in the 2023 NFL Draft:

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 66, Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Wake Forest wide receiver A.T. Perry.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers used three draft picks on the wide receiver position in the 2022 NFL Draft as they looked to reload at the position after trading Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Christian Watson has the makings of the team’s new No. 1 wide receiver. Romeo Doubs flashed and could be the team’s No. 2 or No. 3 wide receiver. A seventh-round pick, Samori Toure could have a place on the depth chart.

As Brian Gutekunst looks to continue to reload at the position, it would be surprising if he doesn’t take a wide receiver early in the upcoming draft.

A wide receiver that Green Bay’s general manager could target on day two of the 2023 NFL Draft is A.T. Perry. The Wake Forest wide receiver checks in at No. 66 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.

Perry, a three-star recruit finished the 2021 season with 71 receptions for 1,293 yards and a program-record 15 receiving touchdowns.

This past season, the Wake Forest wide receiver recorded 81 receptions for 1,096 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“It’s hard to find much fault with Perry’s season, especially considering he’d already broken out in the season prior,” Conor O’Neill, the publisher for Deacons Illustrated, said. “There’s a part of me that’s more impressed with his 2022 season than ’21 because there was no element of sneaking up on people; you knew he was the No. 1 option, teams had a full season of tape on him, and he still consistently produced.”

At 6-3, with long arms, Perry passes the eye test and uses that size to his advantage.  The Wake Forest wide receiver has a go-go gadget catch radius.  He has outstanding body control and is able to adjust to the ball in the air. He has no issue making catches in traffic, or with the defensive back in his hip pocket. He showcases good boundary awareness and works the sideline. 

There are times when Perry doesn’t attack the ball at its highest point. He lets the ball fall into his body, rather than going up and stabbing it out of the air. Now, having said that there were also times that Perry had his man beat, but was hurt by poor throws. 

“Perry’s greatest strength is probably playing through contact,” O’Neill said. “That’s also the area he seemed to grow the most through five seasons at Wake Forest, and where he really thrived in the last two years.”

Perry does a good job of mixing up his speed to keep defensive backs off balance. He has long strides to help him get on top of cornerbacks quickly. He has a second gear downfield to help create vertical separation. Perry has impressive flexibility to break in and out of his cuts. 

“Perry is able to get in and out of breaks well and get clean releases,” O’Neill said. “He uses his size well in making contested catches.”

Perry was a downfield threat for Wake Forest and didn’t run an expansive route tree in their offense. He was never really put in a position to showcase any run-after-the-catch ability. If he makes the first defender miss he has long strides and adequate speed to quickly pick up yards after the catch. 

“He’s never been the biggest game-breaking threat when it comes to YAC,” O’Neill said. “But he’s better than he gets credit for. He’s got a long stride and can pick up yards in a hurry when he’s in the open field. We didn’t see that much of him in open space, though, because a lot of his routes were deep balls or to the sidelines.”

As a blocker, Perry was asked to crash down. He has long arms to help him seal outside running lanes or drive defensive backs to the sideline. 

“He’s a willing blocker,” O’Neill said. “Though it’s kind of like YAC, not his best attribute, but it’s passable.

Fit with the Packers

The Davante Adams replacement plan got off to a rough start. To everybody’s surprise (sarcasm) Sammy Watkins was a dud. Randall Cobb, when healthy, proved to be a reliable veteran presence. When healthy, Watson was a dynamic playmaker. Doubs, when healthy, showed flashes of being a solid contributor. 

Even with the success of Watson, the Packers still have one of the worst wide receiver rooms in the league. Gutekunst needs to continue to add young talent to that room as they look to reload after losing the best wide receiver in the league. 

“I’d draft him for his size and athletic ability,” O’Neill said. “You can’t teach 6-3, and he uses that frame well. Also, to plug A.T. a bit: His growth in the past two seasons was impressive. He was frustrated with his snaps and usage for his first two seasons, and then his third was the COVID season in 2020. Perry showed up in fall camp of 2021 looking like he’d finally turned a corner, and that came to fruition with more than 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns.”

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Cowboys eye freakish DT, physical CB, RB of future in PFF’s 4-round mock

Mazi Smith, Eli Ricks, and Zach Evans are among the names to know before the NFL scouting combine; all could give the Cowboys a boost. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys’ areas of need are no real surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention. But the way in which the front office will choose to address those needs (and their order of importance) is, of course, up for great debate this time of year.

There are decisions to be made with a slew of the team’s own free agents, and there will be other teams’ castoffs that warrant at least a discussion about their potential fit in Dallas.

But the Joneses love to build primarily through the draft, relying on young and inexpensive collegiate talent for their main influx of new personnel.

PFF‘s John Owning has sifted through through this year’s class to identify the first four picks that make the most sense for Dallas in 2023.

Packers make trade with division foe in Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft

The Packers trade down with the rival Lions in the first round and get a WR in the second round of this new mock from Dane Brugler.

The 2023 NFL Draft is officially 100 days away and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler released his second mock draft of the season. 

In Brugler’s latest mock draft, he has the Green Bay Packers trading the 15th overall pick to the Detroit Lions for the 18th and 48th overall picks. The Lions drafted Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson with the 15th overall pick.

With the 18th overall pick, Brugler has the Packers taking Iowa defensive lineman, Lukas Van Ness. The man nicknamed Hercules lives up to that tag. Van Ness is chiseled and owns a devastating bull rush to go through blockers. 

From Brugler:

With his explosive power and upside, though, the Iowa product has the toolsy profile that Green Bay covets on the defensive line.

Van Ness was never a starter for the Hawkeyes, but that didn’t stop him from recording 19 tackles for loss and 13 sacks over the past two seasons. According to Pro Football Focus, Van Ness led the Hawkeyes with 46 pressures this past season.

“I see a high ceiling with Van Ness,’ Jacob Keppen, a contributor for Hawkeyeswire.com said. “He has the potential to be a complete defensive end and someone that you can move around the line…He’s a ball of clay and he has the potential to be a seven to 10 sack guy a year.”

With his length (6-5), power, and age (he’ll turn 22 in July), Van Ness fits the bill of what Brian Gutekunst is looking for in the first round.

With the 45th overall pick, Brugler has the Packers selecting Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid. In my most recent mock draft, I also had the Packers selecting Kincaid with the 45th overall pick.

Kincaid is a dynamic weapon in the passing game. He’s able to create explosive plays with the ball in his hands. According to PFF, Kincaid racked up 397 yards after the catch this past season. The Utah tight end is a gifted athlete with the quickness to threaten the seam and make plays vertically.

With the extra pick the Packers got in the trade with the Lions, Brugler has the Packers taking Wake Forest wide receiver, A.T. Perry with the 48th overall pick.

At 6-5, with long arms, Perry has a go-go-gadget catch radius. With his long strides, he chews up grass to quickly get on top of cornerbacks. 

Over the past two seasons, Perry has recorded 152 receptions for 2,389 yards and 26 touchdowns. The Packers may have hit on three wide receivers in the 2022 NFL Draft, now Gutekunst needs to add another piece to that mix. 

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Way too early Patriots’ 7-round 2023 mock draft

Who did the Patriots pick up in this 2023 NFL mock draft simulation?

The NFL season is not quite over, but it’s never too early for 2023 mock drafts, especially considering how disappointing the 2022 season has been up to this point.

One thing is for certain: the Patriots have some draft capital to build on their successes over the last few drafts of adding key players like Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche, Mike Onwenu, Mac Jones, Christian Barmore, Rhamondre Stevenson, Cole Strange, Marcus Jones, Jack Jones and Bailey Zappe.

Although the jury is still out on most of the 2021 and 2022 draft classes, there is some positive success being built since Matt Groh transitioned into owning the draft process.

Today, we’ll see how 2023 could potentially shake out with a way too early seven-round mock draft with only two weeks left in the regular season. For reference, the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator was used for this draft, and the draft slots are projected as of 12/23/2022.

2023 NFL draft film room: Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry

See for yourself what makes Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2023 NFL draft

It’s never too early to look ahead to the next group of top prospects, so if you’re looking to get a head start on the 2023 NFL draft class, we’ve got you covered.

What makes Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry one of next year’s top wide receiver prospects?

Watch the tape and see for yourself:

Marvin Mims among the top 10 returning wide receivers according to Rivals’ Mike Farrell

Oklahoma Sooners Marvin Mims is one of the top 10 returning wide receivers according to Rivals’ Mike Farrell.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ passing game took a bit of a hit over the offseason with the transfers of [autotag]Mario Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag] and the NFL draft departure of [autotag]Mike Woods[/autotag]. While the Sooners lost their top three wide receivers in targets and receptions, they’re bringing back arguably their best wide receiver over the last two seasons, [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

Mims production in 2021 was a product of circumstance. After leading the team in receptions and yards in 2020, expectations soared for the sophomore receiver heading into last season. With the depth and the inconsistent nature of the offense, it was difficult for Mims to find consistent opportunities last fall.

As teams began to take the deep ball away from the offense, little adjustments were made to get Marvin Mims opportunities in the short to intermediate parts of the field. Just 15 of his 41 targets on the season were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Only 37% of Mims targets went to the short part of the field. Compare that to Mike Woods (59%), Mario Williams (54%), and Jadon Haselwood (48%), and it’s clear that Lincoln Riley didn’t know how to get his best wide receiver involved. And that doesn’t account for the number of routes run deep down the field where he didn’t get the ball thrown his way.

But as the Sooners look to the future with [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] as the offensive coordinator and Cale Gundy as the wide receivers coach, there’s renewed optimism in Marvin Mims and his ability to lead a wide receiver group that has talent but also has something to prove. Last week, Mike Farrell released his top 10 wide receivers returning for the 2022 season, and Marvin Mims came in at No. 7.

Mims is joined by three other Big 12 wide receivers, including Xavier Hutchinson of Iowa State at No. 10, Quentin Johnston of TCU at No. 5, and Xavier Worthy of Texas at No. 4.

The Big 12 leads the way with four wide receivers in Farrell’s top 10. The ACC is next with three, followed by the Big 10 with two, and the SEC with one.

Looking over this list, it’s clear that Mims could be more involved in the offense. Five of the top 10 wide receivers on the list had more than double the number of receptions that Mims saw in 2021. Two of those receivers had three times as many receptions last year.

Heading into his third season, Marvin Mims has a chance to lead the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yardage yet again. His big-play potential has stood out since he stepped foot in Norman. Will Jeff Lebby get him involved in other ways instead of solely relying on him as a deep threat? Based on the number of plays and the tempo Lebby wants to play with, Mims will have a chance to put up big numbers in 2022.

Here’s a look at the top 10 returning receivers according to Mike Farrell and their numbers from 2021.