Is Cordarrelle Patterson the next Randy “superfreak” Moss?
That’s a question being batted around the Vikings football landscape as training camp churns toward next Friday’s pre-season opener against Houston.
Brian Hall from Fox Sports North points out that Patterson, who wears Moss’ old No. 84, is already being called a “freak” by receivers coach George Stewart: “He’s different because he’s a 6-foot-3, 226-pound athlete that can run a 4.3 (40-yard dash),” Stewart said. “He’s fast like Percy (Harvin). He’s big like Joe (Webb). And he’s nifty like Greg (Jennings).”
Not so fast, according to the Bleacher Report’s Mike Nelson. Sure, Patterson is an “elite talent,” but Nelson says he’s no Moss. Not yet, at least: “The expectations thrust onto Cordarrelle Patterson by many Viking fans are ridiculous. The fans expecting him to take the NFL by storm like Moss in 1998 are insane.”
Patterson, meanwhile, says he feels like a “special person” who just wants the ball in his hands.
A preview of what to expect? It’s just one play, but check out this catch Thursday, via Vikings.com, as he went one-on-one against fellow rookie, cornerback Xavier Rhodes.
Advantage: Patterson. Freaky.
