Saints film room: Why A.T. Perry might have a chance to contribute this year

A.T. Perry can find it.

Let the wide receiver go down the field, throw it up, and if the football is somewhere in his general vicinity, he’s going to spot it, track it and catch it. Perry’s ability to find a ball in the air, even poorly thrown passes, might be his best trait and will be why he succeeds early in his NFL career.

Perry doesn’t look like a sixth-round pick. There are things he needs to improve about his game, but if you focus on what he can do, there are good, useable traits that could help Perry make this team and contribute during his rookie season after catching 81 passes for 1,096 yards and 11 touchdowns during his senior season at Wake Forest.

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On film, Perry's size stands out. The 6-foot-3, 198-pound receiver has enviable height and can outleap just about every cornerback who lines up against him. His catch radius is something that should play well downfield, as well as in close quarters. Perry doesn’t have the widest frame, but there’s room for him to add some muscle.

Perry will likely be an outside receiver in the NFL; he has the speed (4.47-second 40-yard dash) and technique to make plays from that position. On tape, you often see him glide past cornerbacks downfield, and he pairs that with the ability to change directions fluidly on both out- and in-breaking routes. Perry also has the strength to play through press coverage without losing too much ground. If things translate for him, these traits should make him an effective receiver at the next level.

You might think Perry’s success came downfield the way people talk about him, but he competed all over the field. His most effective route was the hitch, which he used to make 35 receptions last season. He also showed his prowess at getting open with a change of direction by making 10 catches on in routes and nine on out routes. Only six of his grabs came on go-balls.

There are really only two knocks against Perry. The first one is that he isn’t great at catching the ball in traffic, but that skill might be something that develops for him as he adds strength and the game slows down. He isn’t a soft player; there are examples of him making plays over the middle amid coverage, but it isn’t his forte. Most of his contested catches come on plays further downfield where he his ridiculous wingspan becomes a huge advantage.

The other one knock is his dropped passes. Perry doesn’t have bad hands. He has bad habits. Too often, you’ll see him make a mistake due to a lack of concentration. Many of his dropped passes are a result of him starting to make a move upfield before securing the ball. This will need to quickly change, because Perry is unlikely to see anything near the volume he had in college and will need to make the most of every opportunity.

Perry looks like someone who should be a valuable contributor to an NFL team. He probably isn’t going to be a No. 1 or No. 2 receiver for the Saints, but he can stretch the field can make some plays with the ball in his hands. There also is a very obvious fit in the red zone where Perry can use his size to make plays.

He’ll likely play on the outside for the Saints, and if things go well, he could find himself in a role similar to the one Marquez Callaway filled for New Orleans last season. But first, Perry must prove he’s worthy of being on the team, which is certainly not guaranteed for a sixth-round pick.

But after watching Perry, it’s hard not to look at him and think that the Saints might have stolen a player late in the draft. Most of the time, you can’t talk about a sixth-round pick as a potential contributor. This one has that kind of talent.