When the Minnesota Vikings drafted Cordarrelle Patterson in the first round back in 2013, they expected him to be a triple-threat: receiver, runner, returner. Patterson had an excellent rookie season, totaling 627 yards and seven touchdowns on 57 offensive touches, while also making the Pro Bowl and being named to the All-Pro first team as a returner.
Over the next two seasons, though, Patterson fell out of the Vikings' offensive plan. He totaled just 47 touches in 2014 and 2015, with only two scores. Patterson made a resurgence this past season, catching a career-high 52 passes for 453 yards, but he was still fairly low on the team's depth chart.
Now, he's interested in a position change.
"I would love to play running back," Patterson said on the podcast "Pardon My Take," per twincities.com. "I think any receiver in my position would love to play running back. People always say, 'He's just a running back when he gets the ball in his hands.' "
Patterson wouldn't be the first wide receiver to shift into the backfield -- or even the first in his own division. Beset by injuries this season, the Green Bay Packers moved Ty Montgomery from receiver to running back midway through this season. Montgomery had played running back in high school, though, which differentiates him from Patterson.
Patterson's desire to move positions makes sense in the context of the Vikings -- the team seems unlikely to hold onto Adrian Peterson at his current salary ($18 million for 2017) and the duo of Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata has not exactly shined in the nearly two seasons' worth of opportunities it's been given. That doesn't mean it's a guarantee that the Vikings will accommodate his request, or that he'll be successful if they do, but the motive for Patterson seems clear: the Vikes have wideouts they like, and could have an opening in the backfield.
