Broncos just stole a playmaker at wide receiver from the Saints

Well, we know that Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton loves big wide receivers, and we also know that he loves former New Orleans Saints players.

It just so happens that recently released Saints wide receiver AT Perry is a perfect combination of both.

The Denver Broncos have reportedly added former sixth-round pick AT Perry to their practice squad after he was recently (and surprisingly) let go by the Saints. Perry was a sixth-round pick out of Wake Forest and many NFL Draft fans and analysts were surprised to see him fall that far. His projection was more in the Day 2/early Day 3 range. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had him projected as a 3rd-round prospect.

Broncos snag WR AT Perry for their practice squad

This move is exciting for a handful of reasons, but let's start with the obvious, which is that AT Perry is an intriguing young wide receiver prospect. Listed at 6-foot-5, over 200 pounds, Perry is a long target with a big catch radius and a great combination of height, weight, and speed. And even though he was a 6th-round pick, the Saints actually traded up to get him last year.

He posted a RAS of 9.62 and we saw that athleticism on display early on in his professional career with the Saints. He caught just 12 passes last year but racked up 246 receiving yards (over 20 yards per reception) and had four touchdowns.

That's a pretty good touchdown to reception ratio.

So, it's already exciting enough that the Broncos got themselves an exciting young receiver prospect, but let's now add in the fact that the Broncos play the Saints next Thursday night, and there could be even the slightest bit of a competitive advantage there for the Broncos by adding Perry to the mix right now.

The Broncos have struggled to find consistent playmakers at the wide receiver position so far this year, even though they do have a number of intriguing young guys at the position. Marvin Mims's involvement hasn't been what everyone had hoped, at least up to this point. Troy Franklin has been close on a number of plays but the hit rate just isn't there yet. The Broncos cut Tim Patrick before the start of the season in favor of Lil'Jordan Humphrey (who has made some nice plays lately).

It's just nice to see the Broncos adding a player like this with some upside. We may never see him even play for the team, but I love the process. You go after receivers with this kind of athletic talent and upside, especially when you could really benefit from hitting on that upside.

Perry has already played a variety of NFL games and has contributed at a high level despite limited snaps. He could be an asset sooner than anyone really expects.

Pete Carmichael -- who was the offensive coordinator for the Saints last year -- is currently on Sean Payton's staff in Denver. The Broncos also added former Saints assistant scouting director Cody Rager to their front office, so this is a move he would have undoubtedly signed off on as well.