A.T. Perry NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Wake Forest WR

HEIGHT: 6'3.5"

WEIGHT: 198

HAND: 9 1/4"

ARM: 33 1/4"

WINGSPAN: TBD

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40-YARD DASH: 4.47

3-CONE: TBD

SHUTTLE: TBD

VERTICAL: 35"

BROAD: 11'1"

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POSITIVES

— Good build. Tall, lean frame with very long arms.

— Great build-up speed. Excels when he can stride out in one direction.

— Above-average with the ball. Wins with speed and decent contact balance.

— Smooth, graceful mover for his size. Can sink his hips on routes comfortably.

— Great ball-tracking skills and hands down the field.

— Good ability to fight through contact and play the ball in the air.

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NEGATIVES

— Below-average twitch and acceleration. Can take too long to get rolling at times.

— Route-running technique needs to be ironed out, needs more confidence. Runs routes as if he is thinking about them too often.

— Can be sloppy versus press coverage. Struggles to use his hands to keep himself clean.

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2022 STATISTICS

— 13 GM, 81 REC, 1,096 YDS (13.5 AVG), 11 TD

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NOTES

— D.O.B: October 26, 1999

— 3-star recruit in 2018

— Started for two seasons (2021, 2022)

— 2021 and 2022 first-team All-ACC

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OVERALL

A.T. Perry is a towering vertical threat with the athletic tools to blossom into a complete X receiver.

Perry will make his money down the field in the NFL. At 6'3" and 195 pounds, he sports a long, lean frame that enables him to stride out with huge steps and blow by opposing defensive backs late in the route. It takes him a few steps to get rolling, but once he starts striding out, it's difficult to keep up with his size and speed combination.

Perry's best work often comes on go balls, post routes and the occasional deep over route, all of which just let him take off in one direction. He also has loose feet and hips for a player his size, which allows him to threaten other routes that play off of vertical stems, such as deep digs, glance routes and comeback routes.

Perry also has the ball skills one might expect of a 6'3" receiver. He has moments of inconsistency when it comes to fighting through contact, but there's still more good than bad in that area. More importantly given his downfield skill set, Perry is very comfortable tracking the ball. He excels at finding the ball over his shoulder and shows little issue contorting his body however necessary to get hands on the ball. Perry also has strong, reliable hands to finish the catch more times than not.

On the other hand, Perry lacks the twitch and acceleration of a truly dominant player. The sharper the route break, the more prone he is to needing to slow down, take extra steps and roll slowly out of the break, losing some separation potential.

Perry can also be sluggish off the line at times. It takes him some build-up steps to really get moving, which is an issue when paired with his inconsistent technique in using his hands to defeat press coverage. Perry may be able to solve some of these issues with coaching, but it will likely take a good deal of time, especially the route-running.

Perry is an exciting bet on a vertical threat. It isn't easy to find guys with his size, deep speed, fluidity and ball skills. Perry's lack of twitch and some technique inconsistencies make his game incomplete right now, but he can still be an early contributor as a field-stretcher while he strives towards rounding out his game. A Bruce Arians-style vertical system that leans on Perry's size and speed would be his best fit in the NFL.

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GRADE: 7.3 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter - 3rd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 64

POSITION RANK: WR7

PRO COMPARISON: DeVante Parker

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen