NFL Player News

The Vikings traded up to take Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson with the 29th selection overall in the NFL draft. Patterson is considered to be among the most potential-laden receivers in the draft thanks to his big size (6-foot-2, 216 pounds) and speed (4.33 in the 40-yard dash. He came to the Volunteers in 2012 as one of the top junior college prospects in the nation after setting 13 program records during his time at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. He proceeded to put together a first-team All-SEC coaches selection resume in 2012 after becoming the first NCAA player since 2008 to record a touchdown four different ways in the same since. Patterson set an SEC single-season record with a combined kickoff and punt return average of 27.6 yards, and set a Tennessee record with 1,858 all-purpose yards. Patterson caught 46 passes for 778 yards and five touchdowns on offense last year.

Tennessee has made it clear this offseason its dedicated to the run. After signing Andy Levitre and Robert Turner in free agency the Titans drafted Alabama road grader Chance Warmack with their first-round pick. This means the Titans will lean heavily on their rush attack, led by Chris Johnson, who has been very inconsistent behind a mediocre interior line for two consecutive seasons. The moves should culminate in Johnson (and Shonn Greene, also a new addition to Tennessee) putting up some solid stats.

The Fantasy potential of Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman took a hit Monday when team executive vice president John Elway told the media that his second-year running back was "a 190-pounder change-of-pace type guy." Elway also spoke positively about veteran Willis McGahee, calling him "our big back right now." Speculation is that the Broncos will draft a running back within the first three rounds of the NFL draft.

Raiders running back Darren McFadden told the Contra Costa Times that he loves the power-run scheme that new offensive coordinator Greg Olson has committed to. "That's one of the things I like about it. I'm the type of guy I like to get going downhill, so I'm looking forward to it. I think it's going to be a great fit for our team," McFadden said. "It's a great feeling that they have that confidence in me, so I just want to go out there and prove to them on the field that I can do it, and show them I'm the type of player they think I'm capable of being."

A couple of days ago it sounded like Browns running back Trent Richardson would still have to deal with a rib injury suffered last season in 2013. But Richardson told the official team website that he's feeling great. "100 percent," Richardson said. "I'm out there flying around. I finally feel skinny. I don’t have all these big pads on me right now. It's way easier to breathe. I can sleep at night. It’s a fresh breath. It just seems like all that hard work I put in last year is really starting to pay off and bring my game to the next level, where I need to be this year. I've been flying around and moving. Everything I do, I don't feel anything is wrong with me at all, and I feel better than ever."

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Browns running back Trent Richardson, who played through broken ribs as a rookie in 2012, will likely always have to deal with some lingering pain, but said he'll be 100 percent by training camp. Coach Rob Chudzinski stressed that Richardson won't have to carry the load by himself this year and that the club will change it up with Montario Hardesty, Chris Ogbonnaya and now newcomer Dion Lewis.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Raiders running back Darren McFadden, who is coming off a season in which he averaged 3.27 yards per carry, is gearing up for the season already. "My offseason was over last month," McFadden said. "It's back to the grind, getting ready for the season. And getting used to everybody." The Raiders got rid of Greg Knapp and replaced him with Greg Olson as the new offensive coordinator. The Raiders are going back to a predominantly straight-ahead power scheme, one in which McFadden averaged 4.75 yards per carry his first four seasons. McFadden's "most effective years have been in a downhill, power scheme," second-year head coach Dennis Allen said. "That's why Greg Olson and Tony Sparano are here." Besides being held to 707 yards on 216 carries last season, McFadden was also stopped by injury again. He missed four games because of an ankle sprain and has missed 23 games in his five seasons - "just a fluke," he said, "because I am always going hard. I am not falling off the bench or anything."

Bernard Pierce isn't going anywhere as the backup to Ray Rice in Baltimore, but is he getting more credit than he deserves? After reviewing his film from late last season Pierce is indeed a physical runner but his burst isn't exceptional and he's not as electric as Rice. There's a reason why he's a backup. His stats are also misleading: Pierce saw very little work until Jim Caldwell became the offensive coordinator. He had 14 carries for 123 yards in a blowout win against the Giants with 78 yards coming on one run late in the game (he was stopped just short of scoring). He had another long run against the Colts in the Wild Card round, racking up 43 of his 103 yards in the fourth quarter to help the Ravens put up a score to put the game away. Pierce was a non-factor in the Ravens' other three playoff games. And of the 108 carries he had in the regular season, 22 came in a meaningless Week 17 game.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports Dolphins coaches are concerned about running back Daniel Thomas' durability if given a physical role such as short yardage and goal line carries. The paper suggests the team will add at least one other back in the draft.

Saying the Chargers "needed" a fresh start, running back Ryan Mathews appeared on multiple NFL Network shows Friday to talk about his role on the team and his health. Referring to last season Mathews said the Chargers got "complacent" under Norv Turner and fell into a routine. The new coaching staff should change that and Mathews said he's looking forward to it. He also said that because of the new staff he doesn't "consider myself the No. 1 guy right now," adding that he has to prove himself."It's time. I've had flashes of good and I've had flashes of bad. This is something I need to do. I need to be more consistent with my solid play and how I play for the Chargers," he said. Mathews believes the new Chargers offense will be "a little bit more simpler than what we had." And as for his injury woes last year, Mathews blames bad luck. "Everyone always ask me if I am made of glass,” he said. “I just need to stop taking so many hits, I need to quit fighting for extra yards when I don’t need to. A little bit of bad luck too. I broke both my collarbones and that’s rare. I asked everybody how often does that happen and they say never. It's a bit of luck thing for me so I need to play my part and just keep doing what I'm doing and keep working."