"We have receivers like Justin (Hunter), Zach (Rogers), and everybody out there, just getting their touches. To get frustrated means you're being selfish, and I'm not a selfish person."
That's a good one. If you watch him play and you see him out there slapping the helmet and back of his opponents after they make a good play on him, same as he does with his own teammates when they make a play, you know he's a competitor but also a good-natured person. Don't let that fool you into thinking he'll go soft on his opponent though. Especially in run blocking. I've seen him really go after guys. Not QUITE the ball-of-knives-and-judo-chops that Stedman Bailey was on the following play, but similar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOnISzeG2Ao&feature=player_detailpage#t=194s
Apparently he ran 10.33 in the hundred in May at he UT track. And John Chavis called him the best JUCO players he's ever seen regardless of position.
"He's very, very smart," Hinshaw said. "He understands the game really well, and when he gets here, the competition's going to go through the roof. That's what we want."
This is from an article when he was at JUCO. Note the forty time: Patterson racked up 1,285 yards of total offense and 11 touchdowns last season, using his 4.27-second speed in the 40-yard dash to burn teams deep on passing routes (907 receiving yards, nine touchdowns) and then making them pay on special teams (365 yards, two touchdowns). "I feel like I'm a pretty competitive guy," Patterson said. "I don't mind when I get out there and there's some trash-talking, going back-and-forth. I enjoy that."
"We never had to prepare (Patterson) for being successful, for how to deal with the attention," Hutchinson coach Rion Rhoades said. "He's just handled it naturally. You see guys sometimes lose focus when they start to experience that success, but in this case I think it's made him work harder."
"4.27-second speed in the 40-yard dash" +0.05 seconds for being an unofficial time +0.10 seconds for being a campus time at the JUCO level 4.42 seconds. Not bad.
That's possible. He does so much cutting and reversing of field on every run that it's tough to nail him down on what he'd run in one short burst like the 40 yard dash. But I did find two instances where Jaylen Watkins (4.42) and Branden Smith (4.43) clearly had trouble keeping up with him as he ran a vertical route. They started off in press technique. When everyone got revved, neither Watkins nor Smith could close on Patterson as he was running under the ball. Something like a 4.39 or 4.41 wouldn't surprise me. Significantly below that would surprise me a little bit. A 4.27 would sadden me because he won't make it to #12 overall.
This is great. I love this particular Q&A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzKHFCkjF7M&feature=player_detailpage#t=119s Reporter: "CP do you ever surprise yourself when you see some of the (muffled) on film?" Patterson: "Yeah, it's kind of surprising with how big I am I don't think I'm supposed to do things like that." Reporter: "Have you always been able to do things like that?" Patterson: "Yeah, I guess I'm just blessed with it." Reporter: (to Justin Hunter) "When did you know you'd fill that role (punt returner)?" Hunter: "I think it was like Thursday, they told me. It kind of jumped up on me, I was surprised. I was nervous to go out there, first series, but..." Patterson: (chuckles) Hunter: (looks at Patterson) "Yeah, you were scared too."
One thing to watch for, something I forgot when looking at his stats. He had 10 total touchdowns this year but he really ran in 12 of them and had 2 called back on taunting penalties. I'd forgotten about that. I remember the first one when he was high stepping into the end zone against Missouri, showboating. You'd think he would learn after that one but he had a second one against Vanderbilt although I'm not sure it ended up technically accepted or not because before that flag there was another flag for illegal man down field on the Tennessee OLs. Afterward Patterson was asked about the taunting penalties and he said after the first one Dooley talked to him and just told him you can't do things like that, so the reporter asked then so how did the second time come about. He said actually he wasn't trying to taunt anybody. He caught a quick hitter once he and Bray recognized that his corner was blitzing, he made the safety miss and was running toward the end zone and he saw the umpire throw a flag during his run, and he was turning around to see what was going on with the flag and then suddenly realized the play is still live and turned back and ran the rest of the way into the end zone. The ref at the goal line mistook his turning back to the rest of the players and running backward as taunting. Idiotic, but not showboating. The first against Mizzou was showboating.
I thought the high stepping "taunting" penalty was a weak call IMO if it's the one I'm thinking about.
I think the whole concept of calling back touchdowns for stuff like that is weak. That said, I thought what he did with the high stepping was pretty much within the (evil) spirit of the rule, so if you're going to have that rule then you have to throw that flag. On the other hand, the K-State one from 2011 was atrociously repugnant. The one against Vanderbilt was a mistake on the part of the refs. I don't think he should have thrown that flag. Not that it ended up mattering. Kind of a conundrum. The flag didn't matter because of the previous call of illegal man downfield. But, if there hadn't been a flag for illegal man downfield, Patterson wouldn't have been looking back to see what the flag was about and so he wouldn't have been called for taunting.
He should definitely be IN PLAY at the #12 spot but whether you actually pull the trigger or not, it's something you need to think about and see how he works out, handles his interviews, etc. A couple of questions you must satisfy to yourself before knowing what you'd do are: 1. What's the difference between this guy and Devin Hester, aside from height? And is height what stands between Hester and being a Pro Bowl WR? 2. Should BeyBey Thomas and Stephen Hill have gone higher than where they went, and is this guy any different? The reason I ask the latter question is because BeyBey and Stephen were both stupendous physical athletes, huge and very fast, explosive, etc...and they made BIG PLAYS at the college level (I think both averaged like 30 yards per catch)...but they were clearly raw athletes playing receiver. You can't really sit here and claim Cordarrelle is much more expert in the route tree than Hill and Thomas were coming out. BeyBey went in the late 1st round and if Josh McDaniels hadn't taken him then he probably would've fallen to the 2nd round. Hill went in the 2nd round. If that's appropriate, if you're justified for putting raw athletes of that caliber with that history of making plays in FBS ball all the way down there...then why are you looking at Cordarrelle at #12 overall? What's the delta? And then going back to the first question, what keeps Devin Hester from being a top notch wide receiver? Is there a chance that this guy will suffer the same fate?
I really hope he isn't stupid, I don't think this regime likes stupid. As important as the offensive playcall is, the adjustments to the defensive formation after the call has been made are probably more important. I wonder if this guy could keep up with all this? I'm sure he knows a little bit, but it seems to me that Derek Dooley just said to himself, "**** it, throw Patterson the ball and let's see if he can save my job."
I see far more WR potential in Cordarrelle than in Hester. In particular, he made one low catch falling out of bounds, toes still on the turf, that told me a lot about his abilities. I think he moveslike a guy who can take contact. Also, his build and style of running with the ball after the catch make him more than a 9 route and WR screen guy. Hester would be killed if he ran slants and seams, whereas Cordarrelle is fine doing it, imo (as you noted, he even put a defender on his ***). I also think players play a certain way because they have adapted to their body type... shorter guys learn certain habits that work for them, as taller guys learn other habits that work for them. Cordarelle can actually play like a super-sized Percy Harvin (I agree this was a very good comparison, in some ways.. though Percy may be better at catching the ball, getting hammered and still hanging on). I didn't watch Stephen hill enough to comment, but I thought HeyBey was less shifty, cutting to elude... and more deceptively strong for his size and thus hard to tackle once you actually got a hand on him. But in terms of rawness, I don't think you take a Cordarrelle as high as #12... unless you are desperate for an explosive athlete and you may be fired this year if the offense doesn't score way more TDs. The maturity thing is interesting. Cordarrelle seems to handle pressure AMAZINGLY well. Yet he also doesn;t seem to take things very seriously, when he should at times. Perhaps he'll prove a talented, fascinating enigma type player. On my board, pre-combine, and pre Senior bowl (is he going?) I'd have him slotted around 25-40 overall.
What worries me with a guy like this, who has semi-admitted to freelancing routes, is that it can lead to INTs. Now, will his big play potential give more TDs than it takes away in INTs? I suspect so. But either way, coaches hate fielding players, especially in a 'timing offense' (which I supposedly hear is what this offense is... so I'm rolling with that)... since being in the wrong place at the wrong time is NO BUENO for El QB.
Is he a Senior? Spoiler No. Spoiler Sorry if my reply comes off dickish (not intended to be), I just thought your question's answer was obvious
You'd be surprised how many collegiate pass catchers freelance. Aaron Hernandez was notoriously bad for it at UF. Look at him now. Don't get too caught up in it IMO.
I believe he was speaking over all in regards to the participating of all WR's, combine and Senior bowl as to where he was slotting Patterson to go imo.
A bit of both. I brain farted on 'Senior' Bowl. lol. But yeah, my main point is there is more to see from him, and others, to get an idea of where they slot in. Tis early. But fun to discuss.
Its going to be hard to pass on this guy. Playmaker written all over him. I wonder if a team like Carolina jumps top 10 to get him.
I'm not as high Patterson as others here, but I have warmed up on him enough to agree that he should be in play at #12. I'd still prefer taking Bailey or Hopkins with a later pick in terms of value since I expect that one and probably both make it to the 2nd round though.
Agree here... except I still think Cordarrelle is a reach at 12. Love Bailey. Haven't watched Hopkins yet. Will add him to the 'To Do" list.
In some sense, it boggles my mind how a 6'3" and 210 lbs guy with 4.3-4.4 speed that made this many SEC teams and players look foolish before he could even be trained properly could be a "reach" at 12 overall. Especially in a Draft where we're lamenting the lack of elite talent at the top end. I'm a big fan of Dion Jordan but he's no less of a stretch at that pick.
If he turns out to be a great receiver, does it really matter if he's a 20-25 guy and we take him at 12? All that matters is the end result.
Which Dion is. A slight reach at 12. At twelve I want to have fewer concerns. That said, playing it too safe gets you Jeff Ireland players. If we are going to roll the dice a bit, I fully agree its on a guy with ridiculous physical traits and skills.
In some sense I wonder if Jeff Ireland would like him precisely because he DOES see him as a "safe" investment. And what I mean by that is (should he blow the doors off the Combine which I think many are expecting) the worst you have is a Ted Ginn type player that you can get to run vertical routes at 6'3" and 210 lbs and scare the defense that way, a guy that you know can threaten on the bubble screen, a guy that you know with certainty can take end-arounds and be dangerous with the ball in his hands that way, while also getting an excellent kick/punt returner. What you don't know is whether he can be a good full time receiver, run routes, get open, catch the ball consistently, etc. But the above stuff, you know you're going to get out of him, and that gives him a baseline of value that you rarely get in a receiver prospect. If Stedman Bailey isn't all that interesting as a receiver, eventually he'll be phased out altogether on his way to total and complete bust status having no value to the team. Whereas when Ted Ginn never made it as a receiver, he still had 5th round value in trade and to this day still runs 9 routes for the 49ers while averaging 10 to 13 yards per punt return and kick return duties in addition. And maybe Teddy isn't even a good comparison because like I said, at 6'3" and 210 lbs with short area quickness and open field instincts that Teddy never had, you've also got dependable screen/reverse options with Patterson that you wouldn't have with Ginn. Perhaps I should say then that the worst you get out of a Cordarrelle Patterson is a Josh Cribbs or Devin Hester. Either way, what are you getting from a Keenan Allen if he's just not that interesting a receiver? What are you getting out of a Stedman Bailey? What are you getting from a Justin Hunter? Quinton Patton? DeAndre Hopkins? Even Terrance Williams. Perhaps it's the stock researcher in me, but in that way I could see Patterson being considered a safer than usual option at wide receiver with more downside protection while also having extremely significant upside.
For me, it's all about the odds of developing into that great WR. IMO the odds of a guy like Hopkins or Bailey becoming great WRs isn't much different than the odds of Patterson developing into a great WR. Patterson's size gives him a slight advantage IMO, but most of it will come down to their drive and personality. It's just a guess b/c I haven't spoken with any of these prospects, but my gut says that guys like Bailey and Hopkins have the personalities to succeed. Bailey seems so aggressive and Hopkins seems so much more polished (looks like he's worked at his craft), that I expect them to do the same at the next level. I see a guy like Jordan and I don't see second round picks at DE with comparable odds of developing into great players. So while I don't see Patterson as a bad pick at #12, I would prefer to have two players (say Jordan and Bailey) who I believe have good odds of being great than one player with good odds (Patterson) and another player who I expect may be good, but unlikely to ever be great (Carradine, as an example). But OTOH, if we ended up with something like Patterson, Elam, Ertz, Carradine, I don't think that would be bad.
Not just size but athleticism. He's faster and more explosive than either player, in addition to being bigger. And that's on the football field, having NO IDEA (none of us do) what's going to happen in the under armor olympics.
More risk at WR projections, but when you spread that assessment across several roles it certainly lessens the floor. Or so you hope Jeffy O'Ireland will rationalize to himself so he can feel okay with actually taking a playmaker. lol.
