Washington Football Team: Jaret Patterson an undrafted steal

After fighting their way into the 2020 playoffs, the Washington Football Team has had a pretty tremendous offseason so far in 2021. They not only made some big splashes in free agency like signing veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and a new weapon in Curtis Samuel, but Washington made some shrewd moves in the 2021 NFL Draft.

And after.

Washington managed to sign one of the top undrafted players in the 2021 class in Buffalo running back Jaret Patterson.

Patterson was recently invited to the annual NFLPA Rookie Premiere and deservedly so after an absolutely stellar college career.

At Buffalo, Patterson ran for 3,884 yards on 636 carries for an average of 6.1 yards per carry with a whopping 52 rushing touchdowns in just 32 games over three seasons.

That productivity reached a per-game peak in 2020 when Patterson played in only six games but still managed to run for 1,072 yards and 19 scores. How often do you come across a player that averages more than three touchdowns per game in a season, even a shortened one?

Unless you’re talking about a quarterback, that’s more than rare.

His game against Kent State included over 400 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

Patterson is not the biggest back at just 5-foot-6 and change, 195 pounds. That lack of size undoubtedly factored into his being undrafted, as did his lack of elite athletic metrics. He ran just a 4.58 in the 40-yard dash with a 30-inch vertical jump, and a 9’9″ broad jump.

Despite his lack of size and athletic prowess when compared to other prospects, Patterson certainly does not lack toughness or competitive drive. That is not always a recipe for success at the NFL level, but it’s a different story when you can put them to good use on the field.

Patterson does a tremendous job of staying on his feet through contact and, in fact, has been one of the best backs in college football over the past few years at gaining yardage after contact.

Patterson has the foot quickness to make ankle-breaking cuts and does some of his best work between the tackles. He’s not going to be a burner at the NFL level, but he could very easily carve out a role for himself sooner rather than later with the Washington Football Team.