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It is going to be at the very least interesting and scary for the other team when he gets the ball, check it out:

http://youtu.be/b34PaCvgBFI

KilgoreT wrote:It is going to be at the very least interesting and scary for the other team when he gets the ball, check it out:

http://youtu.be/b34PaCvgBFI

Very cool video, thanks for posting it.

I found his acceleration abilities (twice that of the average of NFL player they measured) to be the most interesting. Watching his highlights it is obvious that he is explosive, but this adds a tangible measurement to that.

Purple bruise wrote:Dan Marino scored a 15 on his Wonderlic , Ryan Leaf scored a 27, Matt Leinart a 35, Drew Henson a 42, Randall Cunningham a 15, Terry Bradshaw a 15, Jim Kelly a 15 hmmm Seems odd, I guess you do not have to have a high Wonderlic score to be a good football player and visa-versa

I heard Tavon Austin scored lower than Patterson and Julio Jones about the same as Patterson. Wonderlic is a joke in predicting NFL success.

KilgoreT wrote: I heard Tavon Austin scored lower than Patterson and Julio Jones about the same as Patterson. Wonderlic is a joke in predicting NFL success.

And it infuriates me when people reference it. If some scores a negative score on it because tgey spelled their name wrong, who cares as long as they work hard and get us closer to a SBwin?

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PurpleMustReign wrote: And it infuriates me when people reference it. If some scores a negative score on it because tgey spelled their name wrong, who cares as long as they work hard and get us closer to a SBwin?

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Agreed. In a perfect world I would LOVE for my team to be made up of folks with Masters degrees and Doctorates who also happen to be world class football players but being smart or even of average intelligence is not key to being successful in the NFL. As long as you have the know how to play your position properly, I don't care how poorly you speak, or write, or anything else. I only ask that you be a good person, which has NOTHING to do with being smart. I am not saying being smart isn't important, having a higher intelligence can greatly enrich your life and make many things easier. But it is not the defining characteristic of success. I hope Patterson turns out to be as good as Peterson at his position.


Slainte

Demi wrote: And I remember when Joe Webb reminded people of Bo Jackson as an athlete.

I don't know who was comparing Webb and Jackson (I thought that was Webb's college coach that did that, but I could be wrong), but Patterson's running style compares to Sanders. Sanders spent a lot of time moving horizontally and he did just fine against NFL players while not taking a ton of abuse from defenders.

This doesn't mean I'm equating him to Sanders or predicting he will have the same impact as Sanders, but more that I'm distancing him from Harvin's style. Harvin was more of a slasher who took a lot of hard shots. Exciting to watch, but not great for longevity as a pro.

Hope that clarifies what I was trying to say.

PurpleMustReign wrote: And it infuriates me when people reference it. If some scores a negative score on it because tgey spelled their name wrong, who cares as long as they work hard and get us closer to a SBwin?

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If Patterson had trouble learning to play football there is no way he jumps up to the SEC and has the success he had. Just no way. I'm sure NFL offensive playbooks are more sophisticated than college offensive playbooks, but they are still complicated enough that if a guy really struggled with such things it stands to reason he could not be thrown into that situation and have the sort of impact Patterson had.

Patterson is going to be fine, and he's going to contribute in a lot of different ways (and sooner, rather than later).

i'm sure Patterson will run back punts and kicks on special teams and maybe run a go route now and then. he will be productive right away I bet.

S197 wrote:I think Patterson will need to run more "downhill" in the NFL. His agility is his biggest strength but from the tapes I think he dances around a little too much at times. If you look at other high agility players, guys like AD or Harvin, they can make you miss with a cut or a jump step but at some point they put their head down and just plow ahead. From the highlights it seems like Patterson is more likely to shy from contact rather than seek it. I think given his bigger frame (compared to Harvin) if he can learn to make one or two cuts then run downhill, he'll be better off as you aren't going to make 3 or 4 guys miss in the NFL.

As a WR, you would want to avoid as much contact as possible. Especially with these generation of NFL players who seem to get hurt so faster year after year. With his ability I think he'll be able to break tackles without really having to running people over like Adrian Peterson. The guy is slippery and his jukes are out of this world. He will be fine

JEC334 wrote: As a WR, you would want to avoid as much contact as possible. Especially with these generation of NFL players who seem to get hurt so faster year after year. With his ability I think he'll be able to break tackles without really having to running people over like Adrian Peterson. The guy is slippery and his jukes are out of this world. He will be fine

Read my follow up response, I basically addressed all of this.

S197 wrote:I think Patterson will need to run more "downhill" in the NFL. His agility is his biggest strength but from the tapes I think he dances around a little too much at times. If you look at other high agility players, guys like AD or Harvin, they can make you miss with a cut or a jump step but at some point they put their head down and just plow ahead. From the highlights it seems like Patterson is more likely to shy from contact rather than seek it. I think given his bigger frame (compared to Harvin) if he can learn to make one or two cuts then run downhill, he'll be better off as you aren't going to make 3 or 4 guys miss in the NFL.

Yep, there's not only quite a bit that he still needs to learn, there's more than a little that he needs to unlearn to be successful in the NFL. The kid has off-the-charts physical skills, but there are few guarantees with this one. He's a project.

JEC334 wrote: As a WR, you would want to avoid as much contact as possible. Especially with these generation of NFL players who seem to get hurt so faster year after year. With his ability I think he'll be able to break tackles without really having to running people over like Adrian Peterson. The guy is slippery and his jukes are out of this world. He will be fine

I agree. he should talk too chris carter and Michael Irvin. they weren't to concerned about YAC. they wanted to make that catch for a first down and the td. too many wr's nowadays are more concerned about getting the YAC and then drop the pass, turn the ball over or get hurt.

Hopefully, Patterson will be more like Carter and less like Troy Williamson.

Tark10 wrote:Hopefully, Patterson will be more like Carter and less like Troy Williamson.

Where does this Troy Williamson stuff come from? I've seen others make this comparison and I just don't see it at all.

If one watched Williamson's college highlights (if there was such a thing), you don't see anything special at all. I don't even recall seeing many, if any, highlights where Williamson's speed was on display. He was a very non-descript player both physically and in terms of his college production who happened to rise rapidly in the draft based solely on a fast 40 time at the Combine. As far as I can tell the Vikes tool him mostly based on that and because after trading Moss they needed a guy who could stretch the field. Stands to reason they take the fastest WR coming out that year and they teach him how to catch deep balls because despite his apparent speed he didn't do that much when he was in college. Williamson had bust written all over him the moment they called his name in that draft IMHO.

Patterson may not have as much college tape as Williamson did coming out (a fact that makes the Williamson pick even more distressing in hindsight), but the tape that he did put out shows him making a variety of catches on a variety of routes, displaying amazing running ability and vision, while also getting touches as a runner and a receiver. He did this effectively and consistently during his time with the Volunteers. Patterson's college highlights are actually highlights, and Patterson was being talked about as the top receiver in this draft after a single year in the SEC.

There is no comparison between Williamson and Patterson that I find valid. The two are night and day as pro prospects IMHO. Patterson simply cannot be as ineffective and inept as Williamson proved to be as a pro. Even if it turns out he can't catch (which he can), or can't learn to run the full route tree effectively (which he will), he'll still be dynamite if he does nothing else than catch short passes ala Harvin last year, take reverses and handoffs out of the backfield, and return kicks.

VikingLord wrote: Where does this Troy Williamson stuff come from? I've seen others make this comparison and I just don't see it at all.

They are both players that were drafted more for their athletic ability rather than their football specific skills. In other words, both players were drafted for what they might be rather than what they already are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84ITtk8J81I