Tag: A.T. Perry

NFL Draft: 11 best Minnesota Vikings fits

Going into the NFL Draft, @TheKevinFielder identifies the best fits for the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s finally here.

Beginning today, 259 players will hear their names called during the NFL Draft. The draft is the NFL’s best answer to reality television, with the event taking over three days and countless hours.

For the Minnesota Vikings, it’s an opportunity to continue building a roster that found itself in the playoffs just a year ago. However, the Vikings have just five draft picks after multiple trades, including for T.J. Hockenson in at the trade deadline. That number could decrease even further if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah chooses to get aggressive by moving up for a quarterback.

Regardless of how the Vikings maneuver the board, they’ll have to get creative to add impactful players at positions of need, especially with three picks coming on Day 3 of the draft.

Here are eleven players the Vikings could target during the NFL Draft.

Colts address big needs in 7-round mock draft

Breaking down Chad Reuter’s 7-round mock draft for the Colts.

Less than a week of mock drafts remain until the Indianapolis Colts will make their selections in the 2023 NFL draft.

The fatigue with mock drafts is real, and at this point, we just want to event to arrive. But we’re still going to break down the mock drafts that come out so we can get a better feel for these prospects and potential scenarios.

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Here’s a look at Chad Reuter’s seven-round mock draft from the Colts’ perspective with our analysis at the end:

Vikings 2023 NFL draft scouting report: Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry

A highly productive wide receiver at Wake Forest, how does A.T. Perry look as an NFL Draft prospect?

Welcome to SKOL Search!

This series will be your guide to the 2023 draft class. From scouting reports to mock drafts and exploring different scenarios, we will be covering the NFL draft and the future of the Minnesota Vikings from all angles.

The focus of the draft class in this space will be on the Vikings’ major needs at wide receiver, running back, cornerback and both interior and edge pass rusher.

The Vikings are slated to have five picks in the NFL draft and they need to make the most out of them.

2023 NFL Draft: Could Detroit draft a receiver that compares to Marvin Jones?

2023 NFL Draft: Could Detroit draft a receiver that compares to Marvin Jones? Here are 3 good options

While it was unsurprising that the Detroit Lions lost receiver DJ Chark to another team in free agency, it was surprising to see them replace Chark so quickly. Last week, the Lions made a surprising move and brought back receiver Marvin Jones.

Previously, Jones, played two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars but he signed a one-year contract to return to the Lions. Being part of the core, once upon a time in Detroit, Jones returns to try it all over again. The best production of his career came while wearing Honolulu blue.

However, he is nearing the later stages of his career as he recently turned 33 years old and his production has slightly dropped. While I still love the fit of Jones back in Detroit, the Lions are in a very interesting position for the 2023 NFL Draft.

They don’t have a pressing need and it feels like every pick they make is going to just be a big plus to their roster. They could overdraft at certain positions or simply take the best player available. One thing I find interesting is if they spend a Day 2 or Day 3 pick on a receiver. But not just any type of receiver.

What if they select a player that could be molded into a similar player as Marvin Jones? Here are three receivers from the 2023 NFL Draft that play similarly to Jones or have a comparable athletic profile!

2023 NFL Draft: A.T. Perry scouting report

Scouting report for Wake Forest wide receiver A.T. Perry in the 2023 NFL draft

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A big and strong outside weapon for Wake Forest the last few seasons, wide receiver A.T. Perry will look to bring his immense production into the next level as he enters the 2023 NFL Draft.

Here is everything you need to know about the explosive Demon Deacon:

New Orleans Saints 2023 NFL draft scouting report: Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry

New Orleans Saints 2023 NFL draft scouting report: Wake Forest wide receiver A.T. Perry has a strong resume and athletic traits, via @DillySanders:

The New Orleans Saints were able to bring Michael Thomas back into the fold for the 2023 season, giving them three solid options at wide receiver when you add Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. If you’ve ever watched a Saints season, you know that’s not enough.

Enter Wake Forest standout A.T. Perry. The Demon Deacons receiver brings something that Olave and Shaheed don’t, and provides a backup option for Thomas with his size. He stands at a tall 6-foot-3 1/2 without sacrificing much athleticism. He finished at a 9.24 on the Relative Athleticism Score scale after running a 4.47-second 40-yard dash and posting an 11-foot broad jump. He isn’t a perfect comparison to Thomas, however, as he’s taller yet lighter, faster, and more explosive.

Of course, he was a team captain and multi-sport athlete in high school. Those are some important factors that the Saints usually like to look for. In his last two seasons at Wake Forest, Perry excelled and looked like one of the best receivers in the country. He had back-to-back thousand-yard seasons both with double-digit touchdown catches.

He’s not a perfectly polished receiver, which is why the Saints could get him at a great value on the second day of the draft. He has fantastic upside, with time to learn in the offense, but also some immediate situational production. New Orleans finished near the bottom of the league in red zone touchdown percentage, Perry would provide a great option as a rookie in that part of the field. Options of Thomas, Olave, Taysom Hill, Juwan Johnson, Alvin Kamara and A.T. Perry in the red zone would have to lead to better success this season.

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Panthers 2023 mock draft 5.0: Swing for the fences edition

The Panthers have been swinging for the fences this offseason. So, for our latest mock draft, we filled the card with some of this year’s most potent prospects.

Last Friday, the Carolina Panthers swung for the fences—and cleared them.

The team’s stunning acquisition of the 2023’s No. 1 overall pick was just the latest—and perhaps greatest—hit of what’s been a bold offseason. Between wrangling together an all-star coaching staff and taking control of the upcoming NFL draft, the Panthers are going all out.

So, for our newest mock, we’ll keep with that approach. Let’s risk it for the biscuit and go for some of this year’s most appealing upside.

Saints Wire sends Vikings help at cornerback and wide receiver in newest mock

A three-round mock from our friends at Saints Wire has the Vikings filling two premium positions on the outside

The NFL Combine just wrapped up, and free agency is just around the corner, meaning that a lot will change for how teams attack the offseason, including the Minnesota Vikings. There are needs on both sides of the ball, and with limited draft capital, the Vikings will need to be tactical about how they want to address those needs.

John Sigler of Saints Wire released a three-round mock draft on Thursday and had the Vikings selecting South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith in the first round. In the third round, Sigler had the Vikings select Wake Forest wide receiver, A.T. Perry.

“The Vikings lucked into a top-15 prospect falling to them in the first round, thanks to the depth at corner in this class, and they went with a good prospect at receiver later on. It’s unclear how many more years Adam Thielen has left in him so it’s smart to start coaching up successors.”

Smith is a physical corner whose skills would perfectly complement what new defensive coordinator Brian Flores would like to do. While Perry is a prototypical X-receiver with crazy size who the Vikings could utilize as a true red zone threat to add to their arsenal.

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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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