By Charlie Campbell
Weaknesses:
Summary: Under former head coach Brian Kelly, Notre Dame was a factory for NFL offensive line talent. The program produced a string of good prospects who included, among others, the likes of Quenton Nelson, Ronnie Stanley, Mike McGlinchey, Zack Martin, Nick Martin, Aaron Banks and Liam Eichenberg. Patterson was a holdover from the Kelly era and will keep the school’s parade of lineman to the NFL going in the 2023 Draft.
Patterson was a 4-year starter for the Fighting Irish, showing improvement as he gained experience. While his 2020 tape was not overly impressive, Patterson had an excellent season in 2021, taking his play to another level. He put together a solid senior year in 2022, although he did have some struggles at the Senior Bowl.
There is a lot to like about Patterson for the NFL. In pass protection, he is a technician who shows good hand placement, knee bend, and leverage. Patterson has enough size to take on defensive tackles in one-on-ones and can hold his ground against bull rushes. Patterson is very stout at shutting down physical interior tackles. While Patterson is not overly fast or athletic, he is able to tie up speed rushers, and Patterson is skilled to execute double teams with guards. In the NFL, Patterson should improve by reacting quicker to games upfront because he can be a hair late, but that is something that he has the capacity to be better at. As a pro, Patterson should be a steady interior blocker.
In the ground game, Patterson is physical and can get movement. He shows some nastiness as a blocker and will really get after defenders with punishing hits. He is strong at the point of attack and can use his power to push defenders out of their gap. As a pro, Patterson should be an asset as an interior run blocker.
Patterson could end up as a third-round or mid-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Player Comparison: Tyler Biadasz. Patterson compares well with Biadasz coming out of Wisconsin. They both were solid interior blockers who had a slide in the final months before their draft. Biadasz (6-4, 316) and Patterson are almost identical in size, and both have some athletic limitations. However, both are tough, smart technicians. Biadasz has turned into a good pro, and I could see Patterson being a similar caliber player.
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2023 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s
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