Cordarrelle Patterson has done nothing but impress coaches and players of the Minnesota Vikings. The rookie was assumed to be a starting wide receiver for the team Week 1 of the season, but head coach Leslie Frazier is urging people to not jump to conclusions. In the end, Patterson is still a rookie and Frazier is waiting to see how he develops throughout training camp before moving him up the depth chart.
Patterson looked every bit the first-round draft pick during the Vikings' preseason debut. He averaged 20.8 yards on five touches, leaving players like quarterback Christian Ponder to be very impressed with the rookie.
"Patterson is great with the ball in his hands, obviously," Ponder said to press. "I always had high expectations for him. I think he did even better with the lights on."
Despite his preseason flashiness in his first NFL game, Patterson is not yet figured into the starting lineup. Frazier is not ready to make that move.
"We'll see how he continues to progress," Frazier said via Twin Cities.com. "There's nothing that is going on right now to say that the guys that are working with the first unit should not be working with the first unit, but, we're going to get some snaps here over the next couple of weeks with our first unit so we'll be able to determine, 'Are those guys the right guys to be working with the first unit?' "
At this point, Greg Jennings is the obvious No. 1 guy. He has the veteran presence and the championship experience to be Ponder's top target in the coming season. According to Frazier, Jerome Simpson is the likely No. 2 guy. Simpson finished last season with 26 receptions for 274 yards after being suspended for the three games. Jarius Wright will also play into the mix after finishing 2012 strong. He recorded a catch in all seven games he played in, finishing with 319 yards and two touchdowns.
Patterson is certainly showing the ability to jump either Simpson or Wright on the depth chart once the preseason is finished. Jennings has been impressed with what he has seen out of the rookie so far, using him as the subject for his new role as mentor on the team.
Time will tell what Frazier decides to do with Patterson. The team obviously opted to draft him in the first round for a reason so they must be toying with the idea of making him a starter at some point. Patterson does not fit the description of a draft bust so it is likely he will end up on the field Week 1.
