5 New Orleans Saints players to keep an eye on in NFL preseason Week 1

1. A.T. Perry, WR

It was expected that A.T. Perry would go in the middle rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft but that wasn't the case. The Wake Forest product ended up sliding into Round 6, and the Saints added him with the 195th overall selection.

In the end, this might have been a huge win for Perry. He joins a New Orleans offense that has no problem airing it out — and they have some openings at wide receiver.

Beyond their three starters — Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Rashid Shaheed — nothing is set in stone for the wideouts. There are some decent players in the mix including Bryan Edwards and James Washington but they've been in the league for a while and have yet to find solid roles in the league.

Perry was especially intriguing during the draft process due to his mix of size and speed. He stands just over 6-foot-3 and weighs 198 pounds but still put up a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash. He finished his collegiate career with 171 receptions for 2,662 yards and 28 touchdowns with the majority of that damage coming in 2021 and 2022.

Sadly for the Saints, there's always a concern when it comes to Michael Thomas. If he were to go down again for a significant amount of time, Perry might be able to see the field early. But first, he has to prove himself in the preseason.