The Oakland Raiders didn't do much in terms of making big splashes in 2017 free agency. They didn't really need to, either. One move they did make that many NFL fans are actually still overlooking was the addition of former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
While the original plan for Patterson with the Raiders may have been to utilize his superb kick returning abilities, he's also beginning to look more and more like the wide receiver the Vikings had originally hoped he'd become. In the end, Patterson's two-year, $8.5 million deal may wind up being a steal for the Raiders.
Over the past four seasons, Patterson has made a name for himself as one of the NFL's premier kick returners, racking up 4,075 yards on 134 returns, with five touchdowns. Those touchdowns include returns of 101, 104 and 109 yards. His 109-yard return broke the NFL record, per Vikings.com.
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As for his role as a wideout, many fans and analysts alike probably threw in the towel on Patterson after a 2015 campaign which featured just two receptions for 10 yards in 16 games. But the 26-year-old bounced back nicely in 2016 and caught a career-high 52 passes for 453 yards and two scores. He began to come into his own as an NFL receiver, and now the Raiders get the chance to utilize him as their potential No. 3 target behind Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree.
But first thing's first, Patterson needs to actually win the No. 3 job from current starter Seth Roberts. If last season's numbers are any indication, though, there's a good chance that Patterson should start the season with the gig.
Comparing Patterson and Roberts
Looking strictly at last season alone, there are a few glaring things that stand out in favor of Patterson.
According to Sporting Charts, Roberts was tied for the fifth-most drops (five) in the NFL on 77 targets, totaling a drop percentage of 6.5. On the flip side, Patterson had just one drop last year on 70 targets, a drop percentage of 1.4. To go along with those numbers, Roberts' 77 targets resulted in just 38 receptions, while Patterson's 70 targets wound up netting him 52 catches. This means that Patterson's catch percentage was a pretty absurd 81.3, while Roberts' was just 50.7, as Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus pointed out.
On paper, it's hard not to love Patterson's chances. But, Roberts and Derek Carr already have chemistry, so the newbie in the offense is going to need to work his way into his signal caller's good graces right out of the gate in training camp.
SportsLine projects Roberts and Patterson to see a similar amount of targets last season, but if the former Viking can prove his worth early on, there's reason to think he could blow these expectations out of the water:
| Tar | Recpt | ReYd | ReAvg | ReTD | FP* | |
| Amari Cooper | 156 | 91 | 1,193 | 13.1 | 5 | 148 |
| Michael Crabtree | 148 | 87 | 980 | 11.3 | 8 | 143 |
| Seth Roberts | 58 | 30 | 356 | 11.7 | 4 | 61 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | 52 | 34 | 342 | 9.9 | 2 | 54 |
*Fantasy points
Patterson is in the best spot of his career
When Patterson entered the league as the No. 29 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, he was expected to take over a big role immediately for the Vikings. Unfortunately, Minnesota didn't have the weapons at wideout in his first two seasons to really help ease the pressure off him.
In both 2013 and 2014, it was Greg Jennings leading the way for Minnesota, but the veteran winding down his career wasn't able to do enough to help Patterson ease his way into the NFL. After Jennings, the Vikings had Jerome Simpson, Jarius Wright and Charles Johnson as their other top receivers at different points during that two-year span.
Now in 2017, Patterson is going to get to play alongside Cooper and Crabtree, which is only going to make his job easier and give him more opportunities to take advantage of the No. 3 cornerback on opposing teams.
Finally, there's the quarterback situation. Here's a list of the quarterbacks Patterson has played with since 2013:
- Matt Cassel
- Christian Ponder
- Josh Freeman
- Teddy Bridgewater
- Shaun Hill
- Sam Bradford
Patterson's strong 2016 season came with Bradford, and he got Bridgewater during the quarterback's rookie season. Now, he gets the NFL's highest-paid quarterback and a rising star in Carr. It's hard to argue that this isn't a prime position that Patterson currently finds himself in, and one that should set him up for major success in 2017.