Cordarrelle Patterson was the NFL’s best kick returner and one of the most disappointing wide receivers during his four years with the Vikings. That might change in a hurry with Derek Carr throwing him the ball in Oakland.
Raiders offensive coordinator Todd Downing, an Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native, has big plans for Patterson.
“He’s a fun tool,” Downing said this week, via the Las Vegas Review Journal. “I won’t speak too much about how he was used in the past; that’s somebody else’s job. But I can tell you that we’re going to have fun looking for ways to get him involved in the offense. He’s a big, strong, physical, dynamic-with-the-ball-in-his-hands type player, and we’re excited to see what he can do for us.”
Oakland’s official team website raved about Patterson looking very good as a receiver during Wednesday’s minicamp practice, where he apparently caught three touchdown passes from Carr and E.J. Manuel.
An ESPN writer described Patterson as a “revelation.”
“Cordarrelle Patterson has been a revelation at receiver for the Raiders this offseason…yes, only in OTAs and minicamp, but still,” tweeted ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “Patterson has shown playmaking ability all over the field and just came down with a TD catch in traffic from EJ Manuel, who is getting second-team reps over Connor Cook.”
You might want to hold on to Patterson if you still have him on your fantasy team.
