Former Vikings receiver making a good impression on Bill Belichick

Former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has only been with the New England Patriots for a few months, but he is already impressing his new coaches and teammates.

As a returner, none may have done it better in a Minnesota Vikings uniform than Cordarrelle Patterson. Following the Vikings selecting him in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Patterson ended up with a First-Team All-Pro selection as a rookie after returning two kicks for touchdowns and leading the league in kick return average.

Despite his skills as a return man, Patterson struggled to find his fit in Minnesota’s offense as a receiver. In his four years with the Vikings from 2013 to 2016, he never finished a single season with 500 or more receiving yards.

Patterson’s struggle to develop as a pass-catcher was really the main reason for why Minnesota did not re-sign him after the 2016 season. Instead, he ended up in Oakland as a member of the Raiders.

After spending 2017 in Oakland, Patterson is now with the New England Patriots, who acquired the former Vikings receiver in a trade last March.

Minnesota Vikings

Even though he has only been with the Patriots for a few months, Patterson is already making a good impression on his new team. He even received a semi-compliment from New England head coach Bill Belichick recently.

"“All the players that have been here this spring have improved and worked hard to make progress. He’s certainly in that group. Glad we have him. He’s good to work with. He’s a talented player.”"

Like Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer, Belichick is not one to just hand out praise to everyone on his roster. But the Patriots head coach has clearly liked what he has seen from Patterson so far.

It is still only June and a lot can happen between now and the start of the 2018 regular season. However, if there is any team in the NFL that can figure out how to use Patterson as both a returner and a receiver, New England may have a better shot than most at making it happen.

Next: Who could be the Vikings' third receiver in 2018?

If he actually is able to find success with the Patriots, the Vikings will get to see just how good their former receiver has become when they take on New England in a Week 13 matchup next season.