The Chicago Bears brass was in full force for the East-West Shrine Bowl this week. GM Ryan Poles and others were in attendance for the weekend’s first practice, hoping to get a close look at some intriguing prospects that will likely be drafted a few months from now. Plenty of position groups took center stage, from pass rushers to offensive linemen and defensive backs. Probably the most interesting was the wide receivers. It’s no secret Chicago is looking for more weapons. Perhaps they might find one worth taking in this group.
If they were looking for someone to make an impression, they weren’t disappointed. Multiple people in attendance singled out one name: A.T. Perry. He attended Wake Forest, where he was the favored target of prominent quarterback Sam Hartman, having recently transferred to Notre Dame. Perry racked up almost 2400 yards and 26 touchdowns in his final two years of college. He’s known for his great size, body control, and alpha mentality in 50/50 situations. Some are concerned about his route-running, though.
Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network didn’t see any such problems.
“If there was a single player who really stood out and had a wow performance during the first day of Shrine Bowl practice, it was A.T. Perry. He was dominant in every way.
Perry separated from opponents through his route running, physically beat them down to make the reception, and caught everything thrown in his direction. In a nutshell, Perry could not be covered.”
The Chicago Bears no doubt took note of Perry.
One practice isn’t going to sway their draft boards much, but it was something that will cause them to pay more attention in the coming days. They’ll want to see if Perry can do it again. Many times young prospects get off to good starts during early practices only to taper off. For him to get proper momentum for his draft stock, Perry must do it consistently day after day. Poles likes bigger guys, as his acquisitions of Equanimeous St. Brown, N’Keal Harry, and Chase Claypool illustrate. So Perry already has a leg up on others.
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Make no mistake. Others at that event will be working just as hard to get attention, including the defensive backs going against him. They won’t like the fact he schooled them in such a manner. It will be interesting to see how he handles what should be a more physical practice on Day 2. The fun has only begun. Other prospects at positions of need will draw the Chicago Bears’ attention. Poles won’t leave any stone unturned in his efforts to find help for his roster.
The second most important position on a team with Justin Fields is offensive line. The team fails with JF on his back or worse suffers injury. Defensive players and WR are worthless without JF. Pick the best player for the team to be successful, not the best player to all teams. The Bears do not need a QB.
Not that the Bears do need a Number 1 receiver. but this receiver sounds just like Claypool or Jones. Don’t think the Bears will spend a top 1st or 2nd round pick for any WR in this year’s draft. Maybe the WR from N.O. or another free agent.
He’s been a Baller and if anyone who knows college football would know he has put up over 2,000 yards plus his last 2 seasons. So he’s not exactly a sleeper but I guess for those that is not a fan of college maybe to them he’s under the radar but not to scouts.
Where does this illusion that Poles just likes big receivers come from? He helped draft Hill didn’t he? Hardman was a second round pick. Not exactly huge receivers.