Jaret Patterson - RB - University at Buffalo

[Mr. Peterson 195]

“Buffalo junior RB Jaret Patterson had 36 carries for 409 yards and eight touchdowns in a 70-41 win on Saturday over Kent State.

In the postgame media Zoom scrum, Patterson was actually asked by a reporter: “Were you aware the Kent State players have families?” Patterson (5'9/195) ran for 156 yards and three TD in the first quarter -- and he was only getting warmed up. His eight touchdowns tie an FBS record for rushing scores in a single-game. Patterson likely would have broken the record, but Buffalo HC Lance Leipold pulled him from the game in the fourth quarter with the game secured (RB2 Kevin Marks scored the final TD of the game, on a 15-yard run, with 1:16 left). To put this performance in perspective, top 2021 NFL Draft prospect RB Chuba Hubbard, through seven games (133 carries) this season, has 625 yards and five TD. In standard scoring, Patterson's 88.9 points -- which he did without a single reception -- goes down as an all-time college fantasy football showing.”

 

5’9” 200 lb Jr RB from University at Buffalo having a great season.  Starting to get some draft buzz.  
Looking forward to seeing what he can do in the pros.  

[themeistersinger 315]

14 minutes ago, Mr. Peterson said:

“Buffalo junior RB Jaret Patterson had 36 carries for 409 yards and eight touchdowns in a 70-41 win on Saturday over Kent State.

In the postgame media Zoom scrum, Patterson was actually asked by a reporter: “Were you aware the Kent State players have families?” Patterson (5'9/195) ran for 156 yards and three TD in the first quarter -- and he was only getting warmed up. His eight touchdowns tie an FBS record for rushing scores in a single-game. Patterson likely would have broken the record, but Buffalo HC Lance Leipold pulled him from the game in the fourth quarter with the game secured (RB2 Kevin Marks scored the final TD of the game, on a 15-yard run, with 1:16 left). To put this performance in perspective, top 2021 NFL Draft prospect RB Chuba Hubbard, through seven games (133 carries) this season, has 625 yards and five TD. In standard scoring, Patterson's 88.9 points -- which he did without a single reception -- goes down as an all-time college fantasy football showing.”

 

5’9” 200 lb Jr RB from University at Buffalo having a great season.  Starting to get some draft buzz.  
Looking forward to seeing what he can do in the pros.  

Astonishing.

[Cold Dead Hands 1,807]

It was a hell of a performance, but let’s not get too excited. The Kent defense is terrible. It looked like half the defenders on the field had no arms.

[Steve Tasker 8,221]

He's had a little bit of draft buzz since late last year, ran for 1,799 yards as a sophomore.  Barring a catastrophe or Covid, he'll top 1000 yards again this year, for the 3rd straight year.  If he comes out, he could be a solid mid-round pick.  He's a prototypical RB.  Very good vision and patience, quick feet, good power for his size.  Not a terrible receiver but they rarely throw the ball to RBs.  Selfishly I kinda hope he stays in school, but if he gets a 2nd-3rd grade, he should probably go pro.

[Zyphros 2,029]

Definitely an under the radar prospect. Lots of questions surrounding his talent because of competition and this performance will definitely put some hype behind his name. Some guys just have amazing days. Everyone has them, is this Patterson's "amazing day" or is it a glimpse into what he can do regularly? And obviously I don't mean he'll rush for 8TD's regularly.

I doubt he's anything more than a 4th round NFL prospect. 

[Faust 5,616]

Buffalo RB Jaret Patterson rising in 2021 NFL Draft buzz

[Faust 5,616]

Buffalo Bulls RB Jaret Patterson (409 rushing yards) ties FBS mark with 8 TDs

[SanDawg 35]

23 hours ago, Cold Dead Hands said:

It was a hell of a performance, but let’s not get too excited. The Kent defense is terrible. It looked like half the defenders on the field had no arms.

About the opponent...I used to say the same thing when Khalil Mack was here at UB....he sure proved me wrong.  I'll give this kid Patterson some credit here.  Back to back weeks of amazing stats and a solid career.

[BoerumHill 171]

CFB rushing records

Hit or miss with a lot the names on these lists. Hope he goes the Justin Jackson / Myles Gaskin route and racks up a 4th year of 1K but who could blame him for trying to get that money now.

Howard Griffith is the other guy with 8 rushing TDs (Illinois, 1981.) Thought it was gonna be someone I had heard of but nope. 

[Brunell4MVP 884]

I look at him and Khalil Herbert as similar players.  Same height.  Same weight.  Same skill set.

Could see both going Round 3-5 as multi-use RBs.  Both probably too small to play ST at NFL level though.

Edited November 30, 2020 by Brunell4MVP

[rockaction 26,079]

On 11/29/2020 at 5:50 AM, Cold Dead Hands said:

It was a hell of a performance, but let’s not get too excited. The Kent defense is terrible. It looked like half the defenders on the field had no arms.

At the risk of something, he sort of reminds me of our cat that got caught in one of those old, non-sensor garage door closers. Closed right up on him and he tried to duck under it, managing to get caught in the door halfway down his spine. He then freed himself as we promptly rushed to open it, but not before he dragged his legs for the next hour like a tadpole. It was a sad sight. Sort of like Jaret's running against that no-armed defense.

But mad respect to someone pursuing their dreams. 

[IHEARTFF 1,198]

On 11/30/2020 at 8:27 AM, Brunell4MVP said:

I look at him and Khalil Herbert as similar players.  Same height.  Same weight.  Same skill set.

Could see both going Round 3-5 as multi-use RBs.  Both probably too small to play ST at NFL level though.

Austin Ekeler upside?

[Faust 5,616]

Buffalo Bulls' record-breaking Jaret Patterson is all about big numbers 

[IHEARTFF 1,198]

I think I need to creep this guy higher in my rankings. He just feels like he is going to succeed.

[Brunell4MVP 884]

On 2/12/2021 at 4:52 PM, IHEARTFF said:

Austin Ekeler upside?

I think Patterson and Hebert are better RBs than Ekeler.  But Ekeler is likely always gonna be a better receiver. 

So much depends on luck with these types of RBs.  Does the coach utilize that role?  What other RBs are on the team?  Injuries ahead of them.  etc.

[Faust 5,616]

Jaret Patterson prepares to jump from UB to NFL draft

Excerpts:

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“I’m the type of guy who needs to improve on every aspect of the game,” said Patterson, who is training at Bommarito Performance Systems in Aventura, Fla. “The teams I’ve talked to, they want to know what I can run, but if I can run routes and catch, but I need to improve on everything. Not even from the physical side of the game, but the mental side. Becoming a student, keep working and keep learning how to be a pro.”

 

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In some ways, he said, he felt limited in his role at UB, knowing that he has aspirations to play professionally. Patterson practiced with UB's special teams units and hoped for a bigger role in the passing game, but UB's coaches chose to maximize his primary role as a productive running back, a decision that Patterson said he understood. 

“You’re such a big part of the offense that sometimes coaches are scared you might get hurt," Patterson said. "That’s another reason why I decided to come out, to show teams that I am an all-around back. I just don’t run the ball. I can run routes, I can catch, I can block, and I can play on kick returns and punt returns.”

Patterson did not catch a pass this past season after posting 13 receptions for 209 yards and a touchdown in 2019 and seven catches for 62 yards in 2018. While he practiced with UB’s special teams personnel, he only returned one kick in his career, for 16 yards, in 2019. 

 

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Draft analysts have noted that Patterson has quickness and strong vision, and that while he’s listed at 5 feet, 9 inches and 195 pounds, he can sneak behind bigger blockers in order to create more yardage. Patterson has the ability to make opposing defenders miss in space, he can break for long runs and he can create yards after contact. His 4.7 yards after contact per carry was tied for the nation's best with Virginia Tech's Khalil Herbert, according to Pro Football Focus. 

"They know I can run the ball," Patterson said of NFL scouts, "but they’re going to be very surprised by what else I can do."

The NFL draft is scheduled for April 29-May 1 in Cleveland, and Patterson has been projected by several draft analysts as a Day 3 pick. NFLDraftScout.com ranks Patterson as the No. 8 running back in this year’s class, which includes Alabama’s Najee Harris, Clemson’s Travis Etienne and Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard.

CBSSports.com ranks Patterson as the No. 6 running back, behind Etienne, Harris, North Carolina's Michael Carter and Javonte Williams and Memphis’ Kenneth Gainwell.

The Draft Network ranks Patterson as the No. 10 running back. Jordan Reid, a senior NFL draft analyst with the Draft Network, projects Patterson as a fourth- or a fifth-round pick. But it’s not just about where Patterson could be drafted – it’s about how he is projected to carve out an NFL career.

“Because he was the focal point of the offense from a rushing perspective, they didn't really enable him to show off his talents as a pass catcher,” Reid said. “He's really an unknown in that area. Proving that he can be a three-down running back is crucial to his success on the next level."

 

[Faust 5,616]

Jaret Patterson - Running Back Buffalo Bulls Scouting Report

[Faust 5,616]

Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo – NFL Draft Player Profile

[Faust 5,616]

Quote

Buffalo RB Jaret Patterson ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at his pro day workout this Thursday.

Patterson (5'6/195) posted a good, but not great, 40-yard dash time, while his 5'6 height measurement underscores his diminutive stature. For three straight seasons, he earned over 1,000 rushing yards, doing so with at least 5.5 per carry each season. The shifty tailback rushed for 3,884 yards during his three years at Buffalo, figures to see interest on Day 3 of the draft. 

SOURCE: Jim Nagy on Twitter

Mar 20, 2021, 5:02 PM ET

 

[Blackbear 467]

Looks to me like a Kevin Faulk 

[menobrown 4,238]

Small, slow, not one single positive athletic trait and not much involvement in the passing game. Hard pass.

[jtd13 640]

Devin Singletary with less pass game work. 

[CFB Sicko 190]

7 hours ago, menobrown said:

Small, slow, not one single positive athletic trait and not much involvement in the passing game. Hard pass.

It would seem that way but something seems "special" about him. The way he dominates his talent level reminds me of Diontae Johnson at Toledo.

 

He's worry and quick. Beautiful juke and shiftiness. Very curious as to where the NFL brass rate him...

[CFB Sicko 190]

On 2/12/2021 at 5:11 PM, IHEARTFF said:

I think I need to creep this guy higher in my rankings. He just feels like he is going to succeed.

Same feeling here. I think he's special. I can't put my finger on it, but it seems like he has a role that should translate to the NFL.

 

He just seems like a relentless, high motor, take it to the house kind of player.

[Faust 5,616]

Jaret Patterson shows off some speed, catching ability at UB pro day

Quote

Jaret Patterson ran a little faster than some expected and showed good hands in receiving drills Thursday at the University at Buffalo pro-day workout for NFL scouts.

Patterson probably helped himself a little in his bid to boost his draft stock.

The UB superstar measured in at 5-foot-6 1/2 and 195 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash twice and posted times of 4.52 seconds and 4.53 or 4.54 seconds, according reports from various NFL scouts.

Patterson’s height was exactly the same as that of former UB star running back Branden Oliver. But Patterson ran faster than Oliver, who was timed at 4.62 seconds at the UB pro day in 2014. Oliver went undrafted, but went on to play 30 NFL games over four pro seasons.

Patterson is likely to be a later-round pick in the draft.

“When you look at Patterson, I would say fifth to seventh round,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said on a call with reporters last week. “There’s pretty good depth at running back this year.”

“I saw a 4.52, 4.51, that low 4.5 range,” Patterson said of his 40 time Thursday. “I’m happy with that. Teams said I was going to be a 4.6 guy, and I feel like I checked that box.”

Patterson, of course, always has been underestimated because of his size, which is why he was so lightly recruited coming out of high school in Maryland.

But Patterson proved his two-star rating all wrong by rushing for 3,884 career yards, second on the UB list to Oliver. Patterson holds the UB record for career touchdowns (52) and single-season rushing yards (1,799 in 2019). He set the Mid-American Conference record in 2020 with 409 yards in a game against Kent State, and his eight TDs in that game tied a Football Bowl Subdivision record.

“They’ve said I’m big enough,” Patterson said of NFL scouts. “It’s not like it’s not normal. There’s guys that came before me and did it. Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew, and the list can go on and on. That’s my mindset. It doesn’t matter about the measurables.”

Patterson has been training at a Florida performance center, where he has met with Jones-Drew, who also is 5-6 and who spent eight years in the NFL.

“He’s been dropping a lot of hidden gems to me,” Patterson said. “A guy being the same stature like that, he went on to play 8 years and had a great career. So that’s one of the guys I kind of lean on if I need some advice. He’s in my corner."

UB didn’t need to throw much to Patterson. He had 20 catches the past two years. His hands looked good in the workout at UB's Murchie Family Fieldhouse.

“This whole process, having interviews with teams, I feel like teams want to see three things from me: What I ran in the 40, can I run routes and can I catch? I feel like I checked all those boxes today,” Patterson said.

Patterson had a vertical jump of 30 inches and a broad jump of 9 feet, 9 inches. Oliver, by comparison, went 33.5 and 9-9 seven years ago.

 

 

[ZWK 2,036]

The big question on Patterson is what he can do in the receiving game, because at that size he's unlikely to have meaningful fantasy v. He had a grand total of 25 targets in his 3 years at Buffalo, for 20/271/1. But sometimes that is a scheme thing. This year Patterson didn't have a target, and the team's other RBs combined for 18 yards on 5 receptions. In coach Leipold's 6 years at Buffalo, the most receptions in a season by a RB is 21 (Johnathan Hawkins 2016) and the most receiving yards in a season by a RB is 209 (Jaret Patterson 2019), so this does look like an offense that doesn't like to throw to its RBs.

So it looks more like his skills as a receiving back get more of an "unknown" than a "bad". I checked a few scouting reports to see how he looked as a receiver; most didn't say anything beyond the lack of production but this one by Jordan Reid of The Draft Network calls him "An easy hands-catcher out of the backfield, he can frequently become involved in the passing game." The reports I've seen from his pro day seem mildly positive but not that informative.

So there's some hope on day 3.

[Faust 5,616]

2021 NFL DRAFT PROFILE: JARET PATTERSON (FANTASY FOOTBALL)

[Faust 5,616]

2021 NFL Draft Comps: Buffalo RB Jaret Patterson looks like past late-round sleepers (PFF Premium Content but you can see the list of the player comparison profiles)

[ZWK 2,036]

21 hours ago, ZWK said:

The big question on Patterson is what he can do in the receiving game, because at that size he's unlikely to have meaningful fantasy v. He had a grand total of 25 targets in his 3 years at Buffalo, for 20/271/1. But sometimes that is a scheme thing. This year Patterson didn't have a target, and the team's other RBs combined for 18 yards on 5 receptions. In coach Leipold's 6 years at Buffalo, the most receptions in a season by a RB is 21 (Johnathan Hawkins 2016) and the most receiving yards in a season by a RB is 209 (Jaret Patterson 2019), so this does look like an offense that doesn't like to throw to its RBs.

So it looks more like his skills as a receiving back get more of an "unknown" than a "bad". I checked a few scouting reports to see how he looked as a receiver; most didn't say anything beyond the lack of production but this one by Jordan Reid of The Draft Network calls him "An easy hands-catcher out of the backfield, he can frequently become involved in the passing game." The reports I've seen from his pro day seem mildly positive but not that informative.

So there's some hope on day 3.

I asked about his receiving on twitter and got these two replies:

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A former player of mine played at Buffalo w/ JP for the last 3 years. Swears he can catch. Only limited due to their offensive scheme.

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He can catch, he is not top notch at it. I don't believe he can carve out that role on an NFL team. He's average at best with poor route running.

Plus a skeptical take from an analytics guys who generally doesn't expect RB receiving skills to emerge in the NFL if the guy didn't show them in college.