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Cordarrelle Patterson WR Tennessee #84
Wt: 205
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Size/Athleticism: Prototypical height and build for a No. 1 receiver. A very good athlete for his size. Has experience running the wild cat and also occasionally lined up running back. Has 52 carries over the past two seasons between JUCO and Tennessee. Also returned kicks and punts. Definitely has the potential to contribute in multiple facets of the game. A dangerous runner with the ball in his hands. Once he secures the catch, he essentially becomes a running back. Has the size to go up and fight for the ball in traffic, but is still developing his technique in this area.
Separation Skills: Has the speed get over the top on deep routes. Route running needs some work. Only asked to run a fairly basic route tree at Tennessee. Most of his receptions came on drag and go routes, with an occasional post or comeback route mixed in. None of these required double moves and due to his speed he didn’t refine the nuances of the routes.
Ball Skills: Takes a very passive approach to catching the football. Consistently lets the ball come into his chest and rarely goes up to pluck the ball with his hands. Will need to learn to be aggressive at the next level. He made very few catches at Tennessee where Tyler Bray failed to put the ball on his numbers. He has the body control to put himself in position to make the difficult catches, but he just doesn’t have the technique down.
Intangibles: Did not qualify for NCAA eligibility academically out of high school which forced him to enroll at Hutchinson CC in Kansas.
Durability: No known injury concerns. Plays a physical style of football, especially after the catch and has remained durable throughout his career.
Comments: Patterson’s potential is obvious. He has the size, speed and overall athleticism to develop into a No. 1 at the next level. But he will definitely be limited early in his career. He reminds me somewhat of 2011 2nd-round pick Greg Little, who entered the league with elite potential but, as a converted running back, simply didn’t know how to play the position. Like Little, Patterson becomes a weapon once the ball is in his hands, but it may be a struggle to get him the ball at the next level. Patterson got away with catching the ball against his chest in college due to the windows that are open at that level, but in the NFL many passes that hit your chest will get broken up as corners will close significantly faster than they did in college. All of the concerns surrounding Patterson’s game can be fixed if he dedicates himself to learning the position, so NFL teams will want to learn more about how receptive he is to coaching and how quickly he picks up new techniques.
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