FOXBOROUGH — Devin McCourty has been around New England for a long time, so he had to think hard when he was asked the question: Have you ever had an offensive teammate with the sort of unique skill set that Cordarrelle Patterson brings to the field?
“I don’t think so. Not a guy with that size who is that fast,” McCourty told BostonSportsJournal.com after Thursday's preseason win over the Eagles. “The guy is like, (225 pounds). He’s made great catches and stuff all through camp.”
The truth of the matter is that Patterson is a wholly unique player for the Patriots, at least when it comes to recent memory. They've had guys who are quick and/or fast, but haven't had his size. And there's have been big targets, but none with the sane speed (both short-area quickness and straight-line). But no one who could boast of having both like the former Viking and Raider.
“He came here,” recalled McCourty of the 6-foot-2, 225-pounder, “and I was like, ‘Damn, he’s bigger than I thought.’
“And then you see him step on the scale, and you’re like, ‘Whoa.’ But then, he goes out there and gets going, and you see some of the acrobatic catches he makes. You just can tell after a couple of practices that this guy is just a super athlete who can do so much on the field. Every day.”
Patterson added to a burgeoning highlight reel in Thursday’s preseason win over the Eagles. On New England’s first drive of the second half, the Patriots were sitting on a second-and-9 from the Philly 11-yard line. Patterson was split wide left, and Brian Hoyer just quickly flipped him the ball. Patterson, who was facing single coverage in the form of Philly’s Sidney Jones, simply threw a quick juke on Jones. Jones looked cartoonishly awful, diving for the spot where Patterson used to be as the Patriots’ receiver hopped into the end zone.
Cordarrelle Patterson breaking ankles on the screen pass oh boyyy. Touchdown #Patriots! #PHIvsNE pic.twitter.com/0nOnYshed1
— Casey Baker (@CaseyBake16) August 17, 2018
Cordarrelle Patterson's juggling catch along the sideline. pic.twitter.com/jNE9p42tNS
— Oliver Thomas (@OliverBThomas) August 10, 2018