Cordarrelle Patterson was drafted 29th overall with the idea that he and veteran Greg Jennings would create the new wide receiving tandem in Minnesota. Fans were excited over the potential of the rookie wide receiver, hoping he could help bail out Christian Ponder. The Vikings gave up and a second, third, fourth and seventh round draft picks in order to get the former Tennessee player, but two games into the season and Patterson has been almost a non-factor.
There was a flash of light when Patterson returned kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown. However, after that opening score, the rookie was only active on six snaps as the Vikings went on to lose to the Chicago Bears. That is not the amount of playing time someone like Patterson should be receiving. He and former quarterback Joe Webb are just about tied for snaps this season. That is something head coach Leslie Frazier intends on changing.
"We're going to get that rectified," Frazier said, via ESPN1500.com. "He definitely deserves to be on the field more. He's shown that in the few snaps he's gotten in these first two ball games. Hopefully, everything being equal, that should not be a part of the conversation next week. We want to get him on the field. He's one of our explosive players for sure. We see what he does when he gets the ball in his hands. We've got to find a way to get him on the field."
So far this season, Patterson has taken 11 snaps, recording three catches for 24 yards. So much for that new and improved wide receivers tandem Vikings fans thought they were getting. Frazier insists the coaching staff is well-aware of the talents Patterson has.The wide receiver is considered very raw talent after playing just one year of football at Tennessee. He played two years at Hutchinson Community College before transferring over to the SEC.
Ponder has been working heavily on chemistry with Patterson. The rookie has the ability to be a real deep threat and open up the vertical passing attack. This is something Ponder can truly take advantage of if both Patterson and Jennings are running side by side.
Fantasy owners should not drop off Patterson so quickly. The rookie was a favorite after the Minnesota coaching staff hyped up the impact he would have during the preseason. Frazier intends on increasing his reps which should only help his impact.