Not as optimistic as I thought it'd be.
NFL Draft Scouting Report: Jarrett Patterson
By
Eric Murtaugh|April 6th, 2023|
Football|
1 Comment
We are breaking down the Notre Dame football prospects ahead of the NFL Draft which begins on Thursday, April 27th in Kansas City, Missouri. Today we’ll take a look at a veteran 2-time captain for the Fighting Irish who is being scouted at center.
SPECS
Name: Jarrett Patterson
Hometown: Laguna Hills, California
Position: OG/C
Height: 6-5 (per NFL Combine)
Weight: 306 (per NFL Combine)
40: 5.33 (28th out of 36 OL)
Vertical: 29.5 (t-17th out of 40 OL)
10-Yard Split: 1.82 (24th out of 36 OL)
Broad: 8′ 10″ (t-21st out of 41 OL)
3-Cone: 7.96 (20th out of 22 OL)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.73 (t-12th out of 25 OL)
Bench Press: 22 (22nd out of 24 OL)
STATS
YEAR | GAMES | STARTS |
|---|
2018 | 3 | 0 |
2019 | 13 | 13 |
2020 | 8 | 8 |
2021 | 13 | 13 |
2022 | 12 | 12 |
Total | 49 | 46 |
BIO:
Jarrett Patterson was a low 4-star recruit out of Mission Viejo High School in California who had been committed to Arizona State from the summer of 2017 then left the Sun Devils class in early December of that year. While Notre Dame was looking to add to its haul in 2018, Patterson signed with the Irish in February after making an official visit the prior month.
Recruited as a tackle, Patterson switched to center early in his college career and finished 2022 making the switch to left guard. Like former teammate Robert Hainsey–who shares a similar body and athletic profile–Patterson is being targeted by the NFL to play center.
STRENGTHS:
An excellent leader and anchor to the Notre Dame offensive line for multiple seasons. Among the best pass blockers in the country irrespective of position. Did not give up a sack across his entire college career. Only allowed 10 quarterback hurries in his career. A quick player on the interior with a high level of intelligence and using angles to make blocks. Light on his feet and flexible. Not an over-powering interior prospect but is a great technician. He has very good height for a center.
WEAKNESSES:
Lacks ideal size for the NFL. Arm length is only in the 18th percentile for centers in NFL Combine history. May find it difficult to play at a physically high level as a blocker against defensive linemen. Ability to run block will be questioned. A foot injury that lingered throughout his college career could be a worry for some NFL teams.
OVERVIEW:
Purely in terms of his draft stock and getting his foot in the door, Patterson probably should’ve entered the NFL Draft following his 2021 season. Instead, he came back for a 5th season and agreed on a switch to left guard. I guess it’s still possible he can play guard at the next level but the odds of doing so have to be pretty low.
However, Patterson was considered a top pro prospect at center going back to 2020 and while his stock has fallen a bit there’s still a chance he’s highly sought after by a handful of organizations.
PREDICTION:
5th Round, 168th Overall to the Arizona Cardinals
Patterson’s stock is really difficult to pin down. There are some places that have him pushing towards a top 100 pick but other places have him going outside the top 200.
In a typical year, around 6 to 10 centers end up getting drafted. I tend to think Patterson will be in the middle of that mix of centers but someone is going to pick him up before the 6th round, I am sure. For the teams who could be looking at Patterson, I’m focusing on the Titans, Jets, Broncos, Bears, and Cardinals.
Arizona doesn’t have much of a plan at center and this could be Patterson’s landing spot. They have 4-year journeyman Hjalte Froholdt signed this off-season and last year’s 6th round pick Lecitus Smith, but neither are true centers or have any long-term future at this position. The Cardinals don’t have a selection for almost 2 full rounds until this 168th overall spot, so it’s possible they move up or use their 105th overall selection on Patterson.
