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Former Notre Dame offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson has been a very familiar name for some time now in NFL Draft circles. His hype has dulled down over the last couple of years after being looked at as the next great Irish offensive lineman early in his career.
With eyes set on the 2023 NFL Draft in April, Patterson had an opportunity to rekindle some of that hype at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine this weekend. It has been a massive draft process, filled with an all star game opportunity, testing, team meetings and medical.
The Combine period is a stressful and daunting process for all NFL Draft prospects. Patterson had full intentions of taking advantage of the opportunity as much as possible in Indianapolis.
BUZZ AROUND PATTERSON
There has been hardly a whisper about Patterson leading up to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. He is a player who is well known, and respected across the league, but isn’t a player who is looked at as dynamic or having a ton of upside.
He is, however, pretty safe to be drafted when the 2023 NFL Draft kicks off in April. While Patterson isn’t being viewed as the potential top 50 selection that was once envisioned, he has a chance to hear his name called in the early to mid portion of Day Three (rounds four through seven).
Patterson is a dependable football player. There is just a question on the upside. Is this a potential starter long term? Or are we talking more about a swing player that can backup multiple positions? That’s what NFL teams needed to find out in Indianapolis.
ATHLETIC TESTING RESULTS
Early in his Irish career, Patterson was lauded for his combination of size and athleticism at the center position. He did deal with several nagging injuries during his career and it appears that it may have zapped some of his athleticism.
Despite maybe not being the athlete he once was, Patterson still had a rock solid showing during the workout. He graded out pretty well across the board.
The size profile is impressive for a center on the next level, with the height and length components becoming more common in today’s league. That was a box that nobody expected not to be checked.
Across the tests, Patterson put together some all around good performances. He was an above average tester in the broad jump, vertical jump and ten yard split of his forty time.
Really the only test he was below average was the forty yard dash, which I would argue is the most pointless test for offensive lineman in general. As long as you are explosive out of your stance and create some nice initial movement, that’s what matters most.
Here is the full list of Patterson’s testing during the Combine.
Height: 6’5 ⅛”
Weight: 306 pounds
Arm length: 31 ⅜ inches
Hand size: 10 inches
Forty yard dash: 5.33 seconds (1.82 ten yard split)
Vertical jump: 29.5 inches
Broad jump: 8’10”
3-Cone: 7.96
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.73
FIELD DRILLS
The word “smooth” comes to mind when you think of Patterson’s performance in the field drills. Patterson has very minimal wasting movement, smoothly transitioning to the second level and moving in space.
Patterson was put through both run blocking, pass protection, screen and space drills to really develop a deeper understanding for these prospects as athletes. While Patterson might not ever be described as anything dynamic, he is still a notable mover on the interior of an offensive line.
It was a rock solid all-around showing for Patterson. He had his best performance at the last major pre draft event of the process.
HOW MUCH DID HE HELP HIMSELF?
Patterson helped himself tremendously with his performance at the NFL Scouting combine. Testing can be an overrated aspect of the week for offensive lineman but Patterson did a nice job to check those boxes.
The Notre Dame standout also reportedly interviewed well and flashes his overall football IQ. That was another thing that was expected of Patterson coming into the week.
Arguably the biggest question mark coming into the week was just what Patterson’s medicals would look like. It sounds like everything came back clear, easing some concerns.
It might sound crazy for a four-year starter with so much experience but I would argue that Patterson’s best football is still in front of him. It’ll just take catching on with the right team to unlock
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