Tennessee football: Ranking all former Vols in 2019 NFL Playoffs

Cordarrelle Patterson does not fit the New England Patriots’ system of wide receivers at all. Tom Brady likes crisp route runners with amazing hands. Patterson doesn’t run great routes, and he honestly doesn’t have great hands.

But maybe that’s why he can be so valuable. A change of pace opens up the offense. And Patterson may be the best receiver in the NFL with the ball in his hands. Those skills helped Tennessee football put up record-setting offensive numbers in 2012, Derek Dooley’s final year, despite the team going 5-7 due to its horrendous defense.

Anyway, Patterson was inactive in the Pats’ final game against the New York Jets. But the week before, against the Buffalo Bills, he had four rushes for 66 yards. For the year, he only has 247 receiving yards. But he has 228 rushing yards and four touchdowns overall along with 663 kickoff return yards and an added kickoff return touchdown.

Altogether, NESN online cited Pro Football Focus to note that Patterson had the highest rating of any wide receivers on the Pars this year, and it added that Brady has a 141.8 QB rating when throwing to Patterson.

With Rob Gronkowski too old to be effective now, and with Brady losing his touch just a bit, Patterson could be a very important piece for the Pats if they want another Super Bowl. And with a bye, he has a chance to get healthy now.