2013 NFL Draft Projection: Cordarrelle Patterson To The St. Louis Rams

August 31, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) scores a touchdown in the first quarter against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Cordarrelle Patterson – WR – 6’2″/216

Cordarrelle Patterson came to Tennessee last season as a junior college transfer from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas and immediately made an impact in the SEC.

Patterson filled the void that was left when wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers was removed from the team by Derek Dooley. In his first game with the Vols, Patterson went off against NC State. He finished the game with 6 receptions, 93 yards and a receiving touchdown. He didn’t stop there either, Patterson also added 72 rushing yards on two carries and a rushing touchdown.

Throughout the season Patterson proved to be an electric player with the ball in his hands. He had his best game of the season against Troy when he had 9 catches for 219 yards and a touchdown.

In 2012 Patterson became the first player in the NCAA since 2008 to score a touchdown in four different ways (receiving, rushing, punt return, kick return).

He finished the season with 778 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns on 46 receptions. Patterson also had 308 rushing yards on 25 carries to go along with 3 rushing touchdowns.

The Rock Hill, SC native led the Volunteers with 10 total touchdowns last season.

As a draft prospect Patterson is hard to pin down. On one hand he’s extremely athletic and dynamic, he ran a 4.42 in the 40 yard dash at the combine and his film speaks for itself. On the other hand, Patterson is very very raw. He has very little experience playing football at the NCAA level.

One of the biggest questions about Patterson is his route running. Patterson didn’t run bad routes last season, but he wasn’t very technical in his routes. Another knock on Patterson is his catching ability. He tends to catch the ball with his body, which can be a problem when jumping over defensive backs to make a play on the ball.

Once Patterson has the ball in his hands is when the magic happens. He has a tremendous ability to see the field and make defenders miss.

Patterson has some character issues that have arisen since the combine that could cause him to fall a little bit in the first round. Some draft analysts have reported that his team interviews didn’t go very well, saying that it appeared his mind was elsewhere. He also scored an 11 on the Wonderlic test, which is a low score, but then again AJ Green only scored a 10, so we’re not sure how much stock you should put into a Wonderlic score.

Patterson was once projected to be the first receiver taken in the upcoming draft, but some analysts are now projecting that Tavon Austin will be the first receiver taken in the draft, due to the recent concerns about Patterson.

Where do we think Cordarrelle Patterson will be drafted?

We project that Cordarrelle Patterson will be selected by the St Louis Rams with 22nd pick in the first round.

The Rams found a nice deep threat last season when they drafted Chris Givens out of Wake Forest, however they’re still looking for that true number one receiver.

Patterson is talented enough to be that number one receiver, if he decides to dedicate himself to being a student of the game, something that’s a big question mark for him.

If St. Louis were to draft Patterson it would give Sam Bradford a big, physical receiver that can make plays out in the open field.

This upcoming season will be a big year for Bradford, as it’ll be the first season in his NFL career where he’s not adjusting to a new offense.

Cordarrelle Patterson is one of the most dynamic players in the draft and would be a great pick for the Rams, if he ends up falling that far in the first round.

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