NFL: Cordarrelle Patterson, players sure to breakout in 2014
By Brad Rowland
Cordarrelle Patterson, WR Minnesota Vikings
Cordarrelle Patterson is the “trendy” pick across the NFL as a breakout player, but simply put, that doesn’t mean that the pundits are wrong. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound speedster from Tennessee had an explosive rookie season that included a trip to the Pro Bowl as a kick returner, but with Teddy Bridgewater under center and another year under his belt, Patterson should enjoy a renaissance as a pure offensive player in 2014.
The biggest knock on Patterson‘s game as a rookie (and coming out of Tennessee) was that he was an incredibly raw route-runner, and that is something that is correctable. Will he become Jerry Rice overnight? Probably not, but Patterson will have completed a full offseason in the NFL, and that can do wonders for a player’s technique. Even with the fundamental issues, the uber-athlete produced 469 yards and 4 touchdowns on just 45 receptions as a rookie, and even if Minnesota simply engages him in the quick passing game to allow him to catch the ball in space, those numbers should skyrocket.
Just one year removed from Josh Gordon taking the league by storm on the outside, the sky appears to be the limit for Cordarrelle Patterson, and if the quarterback play is even respectable, the results should be quite good.