The former Minnesota Vikings draft pick was never able to emerge as a reliable wide receiver.
Back in 2013, the Minnesota Vikings entered the NFL Draft with two first-round picks thanks to the compensation they received from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for wide receiver Percy Harvin.
With their first selection, the Vikings grabbed former Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, who was already expected to be off the board. Then a few picks later, Minnesota added former Florida State cornerback Xavier Rhodes.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman had one more trick up his sleeve though. Minnesota traded back into the first round with the New England Patriots and they ended up selecting former Tennessee wide receiver, Cordarrelle Patterson.
Should the former Minnesota Vikings receiver be considered a draft bust?
During the latest installment of Bleeding Purple, the guys went over the recent selections from ESPN’s NFC North All-Decade Team.
Not only was Patterson one of the former Vikings picked for the All-Decade Team, but ESPN’s Courtney Cronin listed him as one of the franchise’s top players since 2010.
Adrian Peterson was selected as Minnesota’s best player from the past decade while Harrison Smith and Patterson were picked as honorable mentions. Smith certainly deserves the honorable mention, but selecting Patterson over guys like Jared Allen and Chad Greenway seems a little odd.
Patterson was drafted to be a wide receiver for the Vikings. Minnesota didn’t trade back into the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft to select a new returner. As good as Patterson was as a specialist for the Vikings, he didn’t meet the expectations the team had set for him when they added him to their roster.
Overall, Patterson isn’t really a draft bust when compared to a number of other players from the past. But in terms of not accomplishing what he was drafted to do, it’s fair to say that Minnesota probably shouldn’t have made a trade to select him in the draft.
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