Turns out, former NFL player Blake Proehl is good on the gridiron AND on the keys ... 'cause he performed so well on the piano during his recent "American Idol" audition -- he brought Katy Perry to tears!!
The ex-Minnesota Vikings wideout -- who's the son of longtime Panthers receiver Ricky Proehl -- sang his heart out in front of Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie on the famed talent show ... and when his segment aired on TV on Sunday, it wasn't hard to see the dude's got a bright future in music.
Playing Brett Young's "In Case You Didn't Know" with his grandma by his side ... Blake, who played for the Vikes from 2021 to 2023, belted out every verse perfectly -- wowing Perry the entire time.
She not only got goosebumps, she also at one point appeared to wipe away a tear. After he finished, she even asked for his autograph.
The other judges, Bryan and Richie, were just as impressed ... and the trio gave him a unanimous golden ticket to the show's next round.
It was all quite emotional for Blake ... as he explained that a knee injury he suffered during his NFL days had him wondering if he'd ever run again -- let alone become a music star.
Some of Blake's famous pals congratulated him on social media following the show ... including Kirk Cousins, who wrote, "Cousins fam will be pulling hard for him this spring."
Safe bet to assume many other families will at this point as well.