Listen to Mike Mayock today at Noon (CST)

[Funkytown]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b34PaCvgBFI

Just a fun little look at the stuff he can do

Nice video! Thanks for sharing! That was pretty intriguing.

[losperros]

Patterson is as raw as raw gets. His forte is almost exclusively in handling the ball after a catch. IMO, he has a "BUST" warning sign written on his forehead in neon letters. You can ignore that, because he has an incredible ceiling, but it would a big risk to do so in the first round. I wouldn't even want him in the late second or third round. The Vikings need solid wide receivers who can contribute immediately, not guys who are projects.

I agree. The only things Patterson does well is make big game saving plays, get separation and catch the ball, get great yardage after the catch, and turn it up big time as a returner, plus he was dropped into a trial by fire situation at Tennessee where he displayed a good learning curve. But aside from that trivial stuff, what's good about the guy? Remember, he dropped a few passes. Very risky.

Patterson can do little for the Vikings aside from improve their passing game and probably be a top returner. But he would have a lot to learn. And it's not like any of the other WRs in the draft would need any time at all to develop. They will be NFL ready right away. Yeah, right.

[MrPurplenGold]

Both Austin and Patterson are big risks.

Austin is like a micro Percy Harvin, so doesn't even have Harvin's ability to function as an occasional running back and is a much smaller receiving target. Maybe he could be used as a back, but at his size he'd last about two seasons in the NFL. The Vikings don't need another receiver who they really can't figure out how to best utilize.

Patterson is as raw as raw gets. His forte is almost exclusively in handling the ball after a catch. IMO, he has a "BUST" warning sign written on his forehead in neon letters. You can ignore that, because he has an incredible ceiling, but it would a big risk to do so in the first round. I wouldn't even want him in the late second or third round. The Vikings need solid wide receivers who can contribute immediately, not guys who are projects.

I think the question still becomes, what kind of WR are the Vikings looking for? Are they looking for that deep threat to open up the offense? Wright has proven he can get deep and Simpson was signed as someone that was "supposed" to be able to stretch the field. Are they looking for that intermediate route runner? Jennings is going to be best served in that role and that's where Rudolph is going to be best because he can't stretch the field. The Vikings might be looking for the kind of player Patterson is. Just someone they can get the ball in his hands and he can make a play. If Wright continues to develop at best they will only need him to be a 3rd WR and they can bring him along slowly with Jennings as his mentor on the route running side of things. He may actually be the best fit for the Vikings offense.

[Mothman]

I agree. The only things Patterson does well is make big game saving plays, get separation and catch the ball, get great yardage after the catch, and turn it up big time as a returner, plus he was dropped into a trial by fire situation at Tennessee where he displayed a good learning curve. But aside from that trivial stuff, what's good about the guy? Remember, he dropped a few passes. Very risky.

Patterson can do little for the Vikings aside from improve their passing game and probably be a top returner. But he would have a lot to learn. And it's not like any of the other WRs in the draft would need any time at all to develop. They will be NFL ready right away. Yeah, right.

LOL! Said without a trace of sarcasm, Craig...

The way I see it, there's no doubt Patterson offers great upside and there's no doubt he has the kind of natural ability that could lead him to become a star someday. With a raw-but-extremely talented player like Patterson, I don't think the question is whether he's worth drafting, but when he's worth drafting, and obviously opinions vary widely on that. I'd love to see him playing for the Vikings but in terms of risk/reward, will he be a better pick at #20 or #25 than everyone else on the board? Would he be worth trading up to acquire?

Honestly, I have no idea. My gut says the risk outweighs the reward enough that he'd be a great player to take a chance on in R2 but perhaps too risky for R1. Of course, he'll probably be long gone by R2.

I'm notoriously wrong about these things so Patterson will probably be the Rookie of the Year.

[Mothman]

think the question still becomes, what kind of WR are the Vikings looking for? Are they looking for that deep threat to open up the offense? Wright has proven he can get deep and Simpson was signed as someone that was "supposed" to be able to stretch the field. Are they looking for that intermediate route runner? Jennings is going to be best served in that role and that's where Rudolph is going to be best because he can't stretch the field. The Vikings might be looking for the kind of player Patterson is. Just someone they can get the ball in his hands and he can make a play. If Wright continues to develop at best they will only need him to be a 3rd WR and they can bring him along slowly with Jennings as his mentor on the route running side of things. He may actually be the best fit for the Vikings offense.

Well said. It really comes down to what the Vikes want and how they see whichever receiver(s) they draft fitting into their offensive plans.

[losperros]

LOL! Said without a trace of sarcasm, Craig...

The way I see it, there's no doubt Patterson offers great upside and there's no doubt he has the kind of natural ability that could lead him to become a star someday. With a raw-but-extremely talented player like Patterson, I don't think the question is whether he's worth drafting, but when he's worth drafting, and obviously opinions vary widely on that. I'd love to see him playing for the Vikings but in terms of risk/reward, will he be a better pick at #20 or #25 than everyone else on the board? Would he be worth trading up to acquire?

Honestly, I have no idea. My gut says the risk outweighs the reward enough that he'd be a great player to take a chance on in R2 but perhaps too risky for R1. Of course, he'll probably be long gone by R2.

I'm notoriously wrong about these things so Patterson will probably be the Rookie of the Year.

Sarcasm? What sarcasm?

I guess I'm a little annoyed at anyone throwing stones at Patterson when he's proven on the field that he's a valuable weapon. That said, I agree with your analysis above. As I've said before, I'm not sure I want the Vikings to invest a R1 pick on any of the WRs, though I certainly won't complain if they do. Still, R2 or R3 seems better to me. Like yourself, I could easily be wrong.

Something we might want to consider is that Patterson is someone to draft, develop and grow with, since the Vikings are a rebuilding team. They're thankfully not an "all in" win the Super Bowl this year or bust team (and I'm so glad that particular Chili mentality is gone). So as MrPurpleGold said, it comes down to the Vikings drafting the kind of WR they are looking for, whoever that might be.