The Adam Trautman experiment is over in New Orleans after three seasons, with the TE shipped to the Denver Broncos along with a 7th round selection.
In return the Saints moved up 62 picks to select Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry, a big-bodied pass-catcher who fills a need behind Michael Thomas in the New Orleans offense.
Trautman also arrived in New Orleans via a draft day trade, with the Saints shipping out the entire back half of their board in 2020 to move into the third round for the former Dayton Flyer. Despite some flashes and quality blocking, there was too little, too often from Trautman, who ends his Saints career with 60 catches for 641 yards and 4 TDs.
He'll look for a fresh start out in Denver with former head coach Sean Payton, who was also traded to the Broncos this season in exchange for the No. 29 selection, which the Saints used on Clemson DT Bryan Bresee. The move leaves the Saints very thin at TE behind Juwan Johnson.
Perry, meanwhile, arrives from the Demon Deacons as the new version of the 6-3 wide receiver that the Saints have employed often in recent years. That list includes Brandon Coleman, but more recently Lil'Jordan Humphrey, another player who ended up with the Broncos this offseason. The Saints also utilized Johnson earlier in his career at WR before converting him to TE prior to the 2021 season.
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Perry was highly productive over his final two seasons at Wake Forest, catching 152 passes for 2.389 yards and 26 touchdowns over 27 games. He fills a clear void that coaches had identified last season as a potential contested catch receiver, and also a bit of injury insurance for Michael Thomas, who is returning on a 1-year deal but has only appeared in 10 games over the past three seasons due to injuries and setbacks.
Barring another trade, the pick caps an intriguing draft for the Saints that plugged in names at several positions of need and saw a trio of trades on the draft's final day after trying and failing to land any move-up opportunities over the first two days.
Here is the list of picks:
- 29: Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson
- 40: Isaiah Foskey, DE, Notre Dame
- 71: Kendre Miller, RB, TCU
- 103: Nick Saldiveri, OL, Old Dominion
- 127: Jake Haener, QB, Fresno State
- 146: Jordan Howden, S, Minnesota
- 195: A.T. Perry, WR, Wake Forest
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