Cordarrelle Patterson is an offensive playmaker who is one of the greatest kick returners in NFL history, without ever establishing himself on offense as either a running back or a wide receiver. Patterson was a three-sport athlete at Northwestern High School in South Carolina where he played football, basket and ran track. Patterson began his collegiate life at North Carolina Tech Preparatory Christian Academy. But he soon transferred to Hutchinson Community College. Here, he continued to shine on the gridiron, earning All-American honors as a returner in 2011. But he was also a force to be reckoned with at the track. He excelled at the 100m, 200m, and the long jump.
Cordarrelle Patterson spent his final year of eligibility at Tennesse. His college stats that year included 10 total touchdowns in 12 games, with three rushing, five receiving, and two on kick returns. All told, his college returns were 706 rushing yards with nine scores, 2,610 receiving yards and 29 scores, and 1,899 return yards with another eight touchdowns.
Patterson's speed was the major point of interest before the 2013 NFL Draft. He didn't let anyone down, clocking a 95th percentile 40 time of 4.42 to boost his Speed Score to 113.2 (95th percentile). Patterson also showed exceptional burst with a 126.9 Burst Score. The Minnesota Vikings made him one of their three first-round selections in the draft, taking him 29th overall.
In the first eight years of his career, Patterson earned four Pro Bowl nods and was named All-Pro four times while playing for four different teams. But all of these honors came in recognition of his skills as a returner, with an NFL record eight kick-off return touchdowns. Patterson scored 18 offensive touchdowns in this time, with seven coming in his rookie season. But in his first season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, everything seemed to come together.
Patterson only played 48.1 percent of the offensive snaps, but he was No.16 with 198.6 Weighted Opportunities. He commanded 68 targets at a target share of 13.3 percent, converting these into 52 receptions for 548 receiving yards on 236 routes run. Patterson was No.2 with 10.5 yards per reception and scored 11 total touchdowns. He had zero drops. Only six running backs scored more in 2021. Patterson saw an average of 7.0 men in the box and was forced to carry the ball against a stacked front on 32 percent of his rush attempts. Both of these numbers led the league. Patterson was No.36 with 35 broken tackles and finished No.13 with 653 yards created. Where he signs his next contract will be important with regards to his fantasy ranking ahead of 2022.
