UDFA Thread
 

First off, is it just my impression or do we always seem to make a slow start with UDFA? Not that we haven't picked up a few gems in recent years, it's just it seems other teams have made 3+ signings before we've even made one. Anyone know why that is?

Anyway, thoughts on Pattterson? He seems more of a situational runner for us, short/goal to go yardage, rather than an every down capable back. Unknown in the passing game, but good in protection blocking. Competition for Barber?

Re: UDFA Thread
 

I'm not so sure that having the most guys that went undrafted signed to the team is necessarily a good thing. I suppose I'd much rather have the best UFA signing than the most UFA signings. Patterson looks like he could be a quality UFA signing. Reasonable chance to at least make the practice squad.

I have to admit, though, that I would have liked to see us come away from the draft/UFA signings with another LB or two. Love the Jamin pick, but that group still seems a bit thin to me.

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Maybe we found our UFA’s in round 7, so to speak.

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Chargers already signed 10 I think

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UDFAs also pick teams where they are more likely to make the roster, our roster seems quite full at the moment, even if it is with mid-level talent, there is a lot of depth already which will make it hard for them to catch on

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They did talk to the VT(?) DT Stills before the draft, not sure whether he has been picked up, but he may be a candidate

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I wasn't talking about quantity, I was talking about timing. Some were signed hours after the draft, our 1 was signed almost a day later. I agree quantity shouldn't be a factor, and if you don't see quality to go after, OK don't sign bodies for the sake of it. It just seems every year we are a day or 2 behind on signings, that's all.

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[quote=AnonEmouse;1283047]I wasn't talking about quantity, I was talking about timing. Some were signed hours after the draft, our 1 was signed almost a day later. I agree quantity shouldn't be a factor, and if you don't see quality to go after, OK don't sign bodies for the sake of it. It just seems every year we are a day or 2 behind on signings, that's all.[/quote]

I getcha, quantity isn't necessarily a good thing. I was just making the point (probably badly) that you have got to be pretty quick off the mark in order to sign 10 within that timeframe.

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Apparently the Browns had a guy signed before the last pick was announced, seems a little premature, maybe they should have a 24 hour wait period after the end of the draft before people can sign. Doesn't stop teams from talking to them, but I get the impression that some teams are very much "sign now or the deal is off of the table" forcing the UDFAs to make quick decisions

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I think I read Mayhew or Ron said they just signed one udfa and don’t have plans for more. I look at that as a great thing and think maybe more free veteran agents could be added. Not wasting time on long shots.

They signed a serious RB who could have been a 5-6 round pick. Legit talent.

Re: UDFA Thread
 

[quote=Chico23231;1283050]I think I read Mayhew or Ron said they just signed one udfa and don’t have plans for more. I look at that as a great thing and think maybe more free veteran agents could be added. Not wasting time on long shots.

They signed a serious RB who could have been a 5-6 round pick. Legit talent.[/quote]

I think that's a good thing too. I like that we are taking a measured approach to things rather than going scattergun. If you don't subscribe to Scalper's view that every move is made to try and undermine the franchise but appreciate that RR and the FO are moving us forward in the proper manner then I have every confidence. If they have decided we only need one guy and that guy is Jaret Patterson then I will bow to their superior knowledge.

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[url]https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31383682[/url]

Washington Football Team agrees with record-tying RB Jaret Patterson, former HS teammate of Chase Young

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[quote=AnonEmouse;1283031]First off, is it just my impression or do we always seem to make a slow start with UDFA? Not that we haven't picked up a few gems in recent years, it's just it seems other teams have made 3+ signings before we've even made one. Anyone know why that is?

Anyway, thoughts on Pattterson? He seems more of a situational runner for us, short/goal to go yardage, rather than an every down capable back. Unknown in the passing game, but good in protection blocking. Competition for Barber?[/quote]

Short / goal to go yardage? Dude have you read anything about the guy at all? He’s 5’7” 195. He’s the opposite of Barber, he’s a baby JD McKissic. He won’t see the field unless something happens to JD, he’ll be stashed on the practice squad unless he can carve out a role as a return guy.

There are no every down backs available as UDFAs. That’s a nonsense thought. You can only ever reasonably hope to find niche role players at RB in the UDFA phase.

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Patterson has a chance to carve out a role for himself. Nothing wrong with his size - that is such an easy thing to critique, but I'd rather judge off production. Depending on where you look, he's basically the same size as JD McKissic or Philip Lindsay who have been pretty productive. As with all these guys, I'll take a wait and see approach. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm not automatically counting them out.

J Patterson - 5'9" 195 (although I've also seen 5'6.5", 5'7" and 5'8")

JD McKissic - 5'10" 194

P Lindsay - 5'8" 190

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Yeah he's definitely considerably shorter than McKissic.

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One of the first mocks I did I had the FT taking Patterson in the later rounds. Can't wait to see what this guy can do here. He can play.

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Sounds like he is about to become this years camp crush

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[quote=Schneed10;1283149]Short / goal to go yardage? Dude have you read anything about the guy at all? He’s 5’7” 195. He’s the opposite of Barber, he’s a baby JD McKissic. He won’t see the field unless something happens to JD, he’ll be stashed on the practice squad unless he can carve out a role as a return guy.

There are no every down backs available as UDFAs. That’s a nonsense thought. You can only ever reasonably hope to find niche role players at RB in the UDFA phase.[/quote]

You're right I didn't look him up properly. Consider my wrist slapped.

Looking at him physically, he reminds me of Barry Sanders (build not running style), same height but 8 lb lighter. He doesn't look like he has the agility Sanders did, but he's got the power in his legs to extend after being hit and break tackles. But bigger guys in the NFL... If he put on a few pounds he could be quite the little bruiser.

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Hummingbirds don’t have the agility that Barry Sanders did. I recently showed my son some of his highlights (he’s too young to have seen him play). It was one, “OMG! No way! What the what?” after another.


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Re: UDFA Thread
 

I am so rooting for our new RB. That’s a guy who has fought to prove people wrong his whole life. Love it. The world was built on the principle of “I’ll show you.”


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[quote=calia;1283187]I am so rooting for our new RB. That’s a guy who has fought to prove people wrong his whole life. Love it. The world was built on the principle of “I’ll show you.”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]Totally agree! Would love to see this guy work out. He seems incredibly driven. Love his size and production. If anything, he'll increase competition in camp.

Honestly, I think him and Lamar Miller are flying under the radar.

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[quote=The Skinsinator;1283188]Totally agree! Would love to see this guy work out. He seems incredibly driven. Love his size and production. If anything, he'll increase competition in camp.

Honestly, I think him and [B]Lamar Miller[/B] are flying under the radar.[/quote]

I would be surprised if Miller is still on the WFT roster by the time the season starts. He lost a step and doesn't have much to offer to us. I liked him when he was younger.

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Yeah, Miller's been done for a while.

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[quote=GridIron26;1283191]I would be surprised if Miller is still on the WFT roster by the time the season starts. He lost a step and doesn't have much to offer to us. I liked him when he was younger.[/quote]


Totally agreed.

I think this UDFA kid steals his spot. I know they aren't exactly the same style RB, but I think you go with the younger, cheaper, chip-on-his-shoulder guy if all things are equal.

We'll see how the kid shows up against NFLers. But if its close between the two, you gotta go younger guy.

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Just watched the highlights of Patterson's game vs. Kent State. Impressive breakaway speed and he bounces off tacklers. I hope he makes the team.

Reminds me of Maurice Jones-Drew.

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Just watched Patterson too. His highlights are numerous. Looks like a north south Jump cut guy. I can easily see him making the team. He seems to do most of his work up the gut with a lead block from a fullback or pulling guard. We dont have a FB. I did see a few zone block stretch plays that he hit, but he seems the most effective aiming north south directly at the mlb. Not sure of fit without a FB. This kid races directly into traffic with zero delay. He made explosive plays up the gut sometimes with minimal gaps. His vision and jump cuts look excellent. Id be interested in seeing him on draw plays. He has no hesitation through the line of scrimmage. His production is amazing. The only thing is his level of competition was lame and his line looked fairly dominant

Re: UDFA Thread
 

[quote=EdmundDorf;1283049]Apparently the Browns had a guy signed before the last pick was announced, seems a little premature, maybe they should have a 24 hour wait period after the end of the draft before people can sign. Doesn't stop teams from talking to them, but I get the impression that some teams are very much "sign now or the deal is off of the table" forcing the UDFAs to make quick decisions[/quote]

No. Keep in mind, we had one of last picks in draft, so we couldn't realistically sign guys (even unofficially) until after that pick. A day doesn't matter, players go where the money is and where they have best chance of sticking or playing.

Re: UDFA Thread
 

[quote=calia;1283186]Hummingbirds don’t have the agility that Barry Sanders did. I recently showed my son some of his highlights (he’s too young to have seen him play). It was one, “OMG! No way! What the what?” after another.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]

He would have played 5 more years if not stuck on the Lions. I remember when his agent asked for top-5 RB and top-5 QB money, not to be an a-hole, but to make a point to inept Detroit management. He would have shattered every record if not stuck on a horrible team.

Re: UDFA Thread
 

[quote=Scalper;1283489]He would have played 5 more years if not stuck on the Lions. I remember when his agent asked for top-5 RB and top-5 QB money, not to be an a-hole, but to make a point to inept Detroit management. He would have shattered every record if not stuck on a horrible team.[/quote]

Instead, Emmitt Smith has the rushing yards record. Thanks Detroit.

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[QUOTE=Scalper;1283489]He would have played 5 more years if not stuck on the Lions. I remember when his agent asked for top-5 RB and top-5 QB money, not to be an a-hole, but to make a point to inept Detroit management. He would have shattered every record if not stuck on a horrible team.[/QUOTE]

Funny how we get so much stick for inept management in the Snyder era (totally warranted), but Detroit seem to get off relatively lightly. There's a reason they haven't won a SB and their handling of potential (Sanders back then, Stafford recently) is arguably worse than anything we've done.

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They had a run of absolutely HORRIBLE draft picks for a while, with this stretch of first-rounders being the worst of it...all of these WRs were busts.

2002 pick 3 Joey Harrington QB Oregon
2003 pick 2 Charles Rogers WR Michigan State
2004 pick 7 Roy Williams WR Texas
2004 pick 30 Kevin Jones RB Virginia Tech
2005 pick 10 Mike Williams WR USC

Re: UDFA Thread
 

Rivera said Jaret Patterson reminds him of Darren Sproles, whom he was around in San Diego.

“He is small, but he is explosive and dynamic. He is stout. He looks like a football player. We are going to give every opportunity to see if he can make our team. I like who he is.”

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The similarities are there for sure, size, speed, build...although Patterson looks thicker to me. Would be exciting if they managed to find a Sproles clone. Can't wait to see how he comes along this offseason.

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Dangerous KR maybe? We haven't had one of those in a while.

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Good picture showing his size...and Reyes' as well.


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