Sometimes when you first look at a player, you get an initial impression that you tend to stick with. And then, there are other times where when you delve a little deeper and start looking at certain small things that you normally do not see when just watching the video through, you notice that your view changes. Last year, my initial impression of Ryan Tannehill was that he was just another athlete trying to play quarterback. Once I started studying his game though, I found that he was actually very natural as a quarterback and saw a lot of things that I really liked. This year, the player that I may be changing my overall view on is Cordarrelle Patterson. My initial impression of him is that he's just another great athlete at this wide receiver position who is lacking at the technical skills of playing the position. I'm going to highlight a play here that may give some insight that he may not be as lacking at the technical skills of the position as I initially thought. Breaking this down is going to make me look at more film on him when I have time and try to break down similar plays to see just how consistent he is at doing this. The setting. I'm not sure what the down and distance was on this play, but Tennessee had the ball at the Mississippi State 11 yard line. Cordarrelle is lined up against Darius Slay on this play. Just to note, Slay is likely a top 3 round pick in April's draft, so this is a NFL caliber cornerback that Patterson is facing on this play. Cordarrelle takes a vertical stem on the route. Darius Slay is lined up inside, giving outside leverage. Darius knows that anything that breaks in will have safety help. He's betting on an out breaking route and is positioned so he can get a jump on it. Cordarrelle starts to break off his vertical stem into an inside route. Darius Slay is maintaining his position, showing good understanding that if Cordarrelle gets inside, he has a safety there to help. This is the first part where the route is won by Cordarrelle. He really sells the inside route, giving the stiff leg and opening his body to the inside. It is a enough that Darius Slay, while he doesn't open up to the inside, gets more erect and shifts his weight just a tad. Here is where Cordarrelle wins the route and shows me something that I didn't initially see when looking at his film. He gets himself open with his hands. Notice that Darius Slay never breaks his outside leverage position. He reaches to jam Cordarrelle Patterson, and Coradarrelle uses his hands to knock away Darius's left arm and also get his other hand into Darius's chest to get his momentum going back. After using his hands to create separation, Cordarrelle shows a burst out of his break to create just a bit more separation. Notice that the ball is already in the air on this shot, and his head is not turned around yet. Cordarrelle gains his position and locates the ball. Tyler Bray makes a very good anticipation throw on the play. As good as Darius Slay is, he has no chance to make a play on the ball. Touchdown. Cordarrelle locates the ball and catches it. In the NFL, everyone is a great athlete. Athleticism will only take you so far. At some point, it is your ability to marry that athleticism with your skill level from a technique standpoint is what will make an elite player. If Cordarrelle gets to the point where he can sell his routes and use his hands to create separation consistently, then I think he has an excellent chance of becoming an upper echelon receiver in the NFL.
It's interesting, I've noticed that both of us have said the same thing when it comes to his evaluation, love the guy from the waist down, not sure if he's as good from the waist up, good once the ball touches his hands, not as good receiving the ball..I admit, he's a tough one for me, I know Ck has showed a lot of tape on refuting the concerns that I've stated, like to reevaluate after the combine.
What if we sign Mike Wallace and Greg Jennings? Then there's no need for Patterson. Will you still not forgive him? Seems a rather odd thing to say.
This still shot is a little grainy, but it is a decent example of Cordarrelle Patterson displaying his "catch radius" by not only getting full extension on a ball that wasn't put to his numbers, but also the ground he had to cover to get there and the fact that there was a safety right there and he did not short arm the pass.
Even if we sign one of those guys I wouldn't fault Ireland for not taking Patterson. This team has other needs and there is great value at WR in rounds 2 and 3. Taking Patterson also carries a lot of risk. That being said, I also would not be opposed to taking Patterson at 12 even with Wallace or Jennings in tow if he's the BPA. Not with both of those two though.
Evan Silva's write up on Cordarrelle Patterson. http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/42536/321/patterson-the-playmaker
You guys are successfully getting me to turn the corner on Patterson. I'd take him at 12 but I'd still take Bailey in the second as well.
if we sign both of them then obviously it's understandable to pass on a WR in the 1st...but Ireland isn't hitting a home run like that, please lol.
This is my fear, that we'll pick up a WR or two in free agency and then Ireland will avoid drafting a WR until the 4th round again. Get my Wallace, Jennings AND Patterson. And then we cut or trade Bess or Hartline. I like Bess and Hartline but they are expendable and we can do better.
They aren't going to make mass changes at the wide receiver position in one offseason, and massive changes aren't needed. Honestly, I really hope Miami doesn't waste a lot of time on free agent wide receivers. Greg Jennings is the best fit, but at his age, it is doubtful that he will ever live up to his price tag. Mike Wallace is simply a poor fit for the offense ran in Miami and will be a guy that is traded in a couple of years so a team can get out from under the big contract they will give him. That is, unless he lands in Cleveland, which I think will be his best fit because he's nothing more than a vertical receiver that can run some stops off his vertical stuff. Think about it this way. There is a reason these guys are going to be "free" to sign with another team. True #1 receivers, just like true #1 players at any position aren't just available in free agency. Teams get their better players by drafting them. Green Bay reshaped their wide receiver corps over a 5-6 year period, and didn't sign a single free agent at the position. They drafted Greg Jennings in the 2nd round of 2006. They drafted James Jones in the 3rd round of 2007. Jordy Nelson was a 2nd round pick in 2008. In 2011, they spent a 2nd round pick on Randall Cobb, which has effectively made Greg Jennings expendable.
