New Orleans Saints wide receiver A.T. Perry was labeled a forgotten 2023 NFL draft pick to watch in the upcoming training camp by Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder. Holder has seen the swiftness the title of “bust” is placed on players. He wrote this article to partially fight that trend. Holder focuses on players you may have forgot from last year’s draft.
A.T. Perry obviously wouldn’t fit the “bust” category as a sixth round pick. He does, however, meet other criteria to be considered forgotten. Holder required a player to miss significant time last year due to injury or placement on the depth chart to be considered forgotten, Perry meets the latter prerequisite:
It’s no coincidence that all of Perry’s production came in the second half of the season when Michael Thomas went on injured reserve with a knee injury. He began the year behind Thomas on the depth chart but made the most of the opportunity, and the older receiver is no longer in the picture in New Orleans.
With a bigger role heading into year two, there’s plenty of reason to believe Perry is in store for a breakout campaign to emerge as the Saints’ No. 2 or 3 wide receiver this season.
This tracks with the common sentiment around Perry this offseason. When the Saints elected to not draft a wide receiver this year, Perry remained the most likely option as the third receiver. His 6-foot-5 frame gives Derek Carr a bigger threat while simultaneously being able to still stretch the field.
Perry caught 5 passes for more than 20 yards, and 3 of those receptions were over 30 yards. Perry’s first catch came in the game Thomas got injured. With Thomas no longer on the team, don’t expect Perry to wait until Week 10 to register his first reception. He should be a prominent piece of the receiving corps in 2024.
